Charlotte NC- Fighting Crime and Perceptions

Charlotte NC

Most of what you hear of Charlotte NC around the country is good things, words like clean, modern, Low Cost of Living, Great Weather, good place to raise a family…

But there are also lies about Charlotte Online, High Crime is the worst lie…  I’ve lived in the  south Charlotte-Matthews area for 17 years and never felt unsafe. For many years we didn’t lock our doors. My wife and I run in the parks, together and alone, and never worry. A look at the violent crime map below, produced by the Charlotte Observer from CMPD data, tells you why we never felt unsafe. 

Violent crime, in almost every category is down in 2009, contrary to conventional wisdom of increasing crime in recessions.

Are Perceptions of Crime Subjective?

You bet. When I was living in the Washington DC area in the late 1980’s, our city had the dubious distinction of being named  “Murder Capital of the World.” If you are over 45 you may remember the magazine covers and all the news… CNN ran with the story. A friend of mine was visiting the Holy Land at this time, Jerusalem, at the height of the Infitada, the daily riots against the occupation, and this Jerusalamite asked my friend, “Is it as bad as they say in DC?”

Well no, it wasn’t then in Washington DC or today in Charlotte. The vast majority of crime occurs in particular areas, in DC it happened to be a bitterly fought drug war that left many in that area dead…. it was an awful time if you lived in that part of DC.

A few stats through July:

CMPD reported the number of serious crimes down 21 percent from the first 6 months of 2008. Property crime? Down  21 percent. Violent crime decreased 23 percent. Murder?  28 homicides are under investigation in 2009, compared to 46 over the same period last year – a 39 percent decrease.  Our police are moving mountains and dramatically reducing crime in our higher crime areas. Kudos to Chief Monroe.

Recently a client told me he was considering moving to South Charlotte but changed his mind because he read online how bad crime is here.  That is too bad.

You can check the Charlotte-Mecklenburg  area for violent crime, theft, vandalism, and car-theft at this excellent Charlotte Observer link.

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Relocating to Charlotte? Buying your First Home? As always, call me direct for your most immediate questions, 704-351-1519