City officials asking community for feedback on the next police chief

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings is retiring. The City of Charlotte has launched a nationwide search for his replacement and they are asking for community feedback.

The city has launched a 15 question community survey asking people to rank priorities like addressing homelessness, violent crime prevention, police community relations and more. The survey also has space for citizens to submit a short answer for what they think the city should consider when picking the next police chief.

NC FOP Lodge #9 represents officers working for CMPD. The organization did it’s own survey and President Dan Redford says 81% of the 400 officers who responded want an outside chief.

“There is a 50/50 chance that things will change for the better, with an outside chief and a 100% guarantee of no change if we hire internally,” Redford said.

In his time as Chief since 2020, Jennings has taken steps to address recruitment challenges which city officials say has increased hires by 30% in 2024, but some say that’s not enough.

“Look at the department through a fresh set of eyes, and totally restructure the organization to get away from the policies that have the rank and file concerned that are causing officers to leave this city, leave this department,” Redford said.

The survey is open until September 5th. The City Manager is overseeing the search for chief and a California based consulting company is helping to lead the search. Applications for the chief closed on August 30th.