CMPD: Community collaboration leads to 8% overall crime reduction in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced a significant on Thursday morning a reduction in crime for the first half of 2025, with overall crime down by 8% compared to the same period last year.

Violent crime in Charlotte saw a 25% decrease, including reductions in homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults, according to CMPD. Property crime also decreased by 5%, although certain areas, such as burglaries and larcenies from automobiles, saw increases.

People can take precautions, such as locking their vehicles and securing valuables.

“I am incredibly proud of our patrol officers, who are in our neighborhoods daily, engaging with the community, observing suspicious activity and providing our detectives with the crucial information needed to arrest violent offenders,” said Deputy Chief Ryan Butler at a news conference held on Thursday morning. “Our department isn’t just focused on making arrests,” said Captain Michael Carter of the Steele Creek Division. “We’re committed to making a difference in the lives of young people.”

CMPD reported significant decreases in specific violent crimes, with homicides down 29%, aggravated assaults down 25%, and robberies down 21%.

Proactive measures such as firearm seizures, zone checks, and police interactions increased during the first half of the year.

While overall property crime decreased, burglaries rose by 7%, and larcenies from automobiles increased by 3%.

CMPD encourages residents to take precautions like locking vehicles and securing valuables to combat these trends.

Uptown mass shooting

Some prominent crimes that happened this month were not included in the latest data since July was outside of the first half of the year.

That includes the mass shooting earlier this month Uptown that resulted in six people being shot with one who was killed.

Multiple arrests have been made in that case and CMPD says it wants people to feel safe Uptown.

When it comes to safety Uptown, CMPD said there are more patrols stationed there than in any other part of the city between Thursday and Saturday.

Juvenile crime

The Juvenile Accountability and Diversion Empowerment (JADE) team made 97 arrests and 84 home visits in the first half of 2025, contributing to a 16% drop in juvenile arrests. The CMPD’s Street Takeover Task Force and SCARLET team also made significant strides in reducing auto thefts and dismantling illegal street activities.The CMPD continues to foster community trust through initiatives like CMPD Serves, which has led to a reduction in use-of-force incidents, external complaints, and officer-involved shootings.

“We’re trying to work with those individuals and their families to make them aware of resources, which allows them to make better choices,” Bulter said.

CMPD providedThe following statistical breakdown provides a snapshot of crime through the Mid-Year of 2025 compared to the Mid-Year of 2024.

• Violent crimes: 2,760 offenses in 2025 compared to 3,688 offenses in 2024.
• Homicides: 42 in 2025 compared to 59 in 2024.
• Aggravated assaults: 2,110 in 2025 compared to 2,825 in 2024.
• Rapes: 81 in 2025 compared to 138 in 2024.
• Armed robberies: 306 in 2025 compared to 412 in 2024.
• Property crimes: 17,524 offenses in 2025 compared to 18,356 in 2024.
• Residential burglaries: 795 in 2025 compared to 869 in 2024.
• Commercial burglaries: 1,557 in 2025 compared to 1,144 in 2024.
• Larcenies from automobiles: 5,062 in 2025 compared to 4,931 in 2024.
• Vehicle thefts: 3,120 in 2025 compared to 4,013 in 2024.
• Arsons: 71 in 2025 compared to 81 in 2024

You can watch CMPD’s full news conference here.

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