CHIEF MONROE’S
STORY PROMOTING 24-HOUR SURVEILLANCE
During a 1/23/13
press conference, Charlotte’s Police Chief Rodney Monroe announced a 9.5%
increase in violent crime for 2012, but according to WSOCTV, “Monroe hopes technology put in place for
the DNC will help bring that number down this year.”
Monroe went on to
say the new Command Center had already helped close a murder case this year
when “On Jan. 7 officers in the
Hickory Grove Division were investigating a homicide on Farm Pond Lane. When
police arrived, they found Monte Gay shot, and he was taken to the
hospital, where he died. Witnesses
pointed police to a man named Bret Samuels, who was on electronic
monitoring, and records showed he had been in the area of the shooting at the
time. Within two hours, police had a
suspect in custody.”
Here are a couple of problems
with his rationale: 1) The Command
Center has been up and running for much of 2012, but crime statistics are up
9.5 % anyway, and 2) Electronic Ankle Bracelets have been in place and
monitored for years. If electronic monitoring is what
caught the homicide suspect, it would not have required the DNC-funded Command
Center.
2012 CREATIVE
CRIME STATISTIC REPORTING
While it’s great
that there were three less murders in 2012 than in 2011, much of the credit
probably goes to paramedics and hospital staff—and to quick response of police
officers responding to get those who were shot or stabbed to medical help. The statistics on attempted murder are rolled
into lesser charges. Statistics for
everyone who lived through 2012 in Charlotte are less encouraging:
Murders decreased 5.5 %
Rape increased 4
%
Robbery increased 12 %, with Armed Robbery
increasing 14
%
Aggravated Assault increased 9 %
Burglary is reported as down about
9
%
Larceny Totals are reported as increasing about 6 %,
with
Shoplifting increasing over 18 % *
Vehicle Theft Increased 2 %
Arson decreased 0.5 %
Overall:
Violent Crime Reported
increased 9.5
%
Property Crime Reported
increased 1.8
%
HOW MANY
MURDERS WERE THERE IN 2012?
It’s hard to say
what numbers are being reported. If you
examine the individual division numbers per CMPD’s site and add up the
2012 murder totals for each of 13 divisions, they total 49, not the 52 total given for the City for the year. If three murders were committed somewhere outside of Divisions, but included in the totals, then what does that say about the validity of the rest of the crime numbers? Or is there some other explanation for these two numbers not matching?
Similarly, adding up rapes reported among divisions brings a total of 205, but the City total is reported as 219. There are 1635 robberies added up, vs. 1798 reported as the total. Etcetera.
Since CMPD is basing their reported increases and decreases in crime on these numbers, an explanation is in order. If the total number of crimes reported as 38,014 for 2012 and 36,980 for 2011 are based on faulty, misleading, or just unclear reports or calculations, that needs to be clarified or corrected.
Similarly, adding up rapes reported among divisions brings a total of 205, but the City total is reported as 219. There are 1635 robberies added up, vs. 1798 reported as the total. Etcetera.
Since CMPD is basing their reported increases and decreases in crime on these numbers, an explanation is in order. If the total number of crimes reported as 38,014 for 2012 and 36,980 for 2011 are based on faulty, misleading, or just unclear reports or calculations, that needs to be clarified or corrected.
FREEDOM
DIVISION: PINS FOR BEST 2012 CRIME REDUCTION
Chief Monroe
applauded the Freedom Division for crime reduction and gave out pins to
commemorate accomplishments. Monroe said
the Freedom Division demonstrated the best overall reduction at 3.5%. However, violent crime was up 22.5% in
Freedom, with Robbery up 31%, Rape up 8%, and Aggravated Assault up 22%. Murders dropped from 4 in 2011 to 1 in 2012,
and Burglary and Larceny statistics were way down.
COMPARE TO
PROVIDENCE DIVISION, 2011 PIN WINNERS FOR BEST CRIME REDUCTION
Last year, Monroe
began his pinning tradition by awarding them to Captain Martha Dozier and the
Providence Division for a drop in 2011 reported crime statistics. Now her 2012 Crime Statistics show:
Murders increased
67
%
Rape increased 30
%
Strong-armed
Robbery increased 38
%
Aggravated
Assault increased 12
%
Residential
Burglary increased 11
%
Shoplifting
increased 55
%
with
overall larceny increasing 6
%
Vehicle Theft
increased 4
%
Arson increased 233
%
NOTE
SIGNIFICANT INCREASES THIS YEAR IN SHOPLIFTING REPORTED
* The marked
increase in reported shoplifting must be considered. Last year, Citynewswatch reported
the little-known SHOP (Shoplifting Offender Project) program employed by CMPD
that seemed to be a way to keep larceny numbers off the books. Inquiries to the State, FBI and CMPD to get
accurate Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics required by the FBI and other
agencies hit dead ends in many cases, but maybe there was an internal response.
Only a full audit will tell for sure,
but it would be a big coincidence if suddenly 20% more incidences of shoplifting
started occurring after the diversion program was exposed. Maybe it’s just a sign of the economic times
or law enforcement focus.
If you read this SHOP post,
you will see that the 2008 and 2009 CMPD Annual Reports have been removed from
the web, and have not been returned.
Those are the first two years of Rodney Monroe’s tenure as Police Chief
in Charlotte. Why have they been
removed? What information is
problematic? 2005, 2006, and 2007 are
still present.
PUBLIC STILL IN THE DARK
Watch Commander Logs, Significant Event Logs, and other major public crime information Chief Monroe had removed from the web site still hasn't been restored, and it doesn't look promising it will ever happen.
TOP SECRET STRETCHING
Millions have been spent on the DNC-funded “Command Center” used to install video cameras, microphones and “Shot Spotter” microphone systems, along with extra License Plate Reader's, or LPR’s (cameras that capture and store the locations and actions of tens of thousands of license plates of innocent travelers as they look for a few possible violators). Monroe still won’t release any Operating Procedures for these devices, who is authorized to use them, who is authorized to access the data, how long it will be stored, whether the data is being uploaded to any outside agencies or companies, or what the total costs are. There is no data to substantiate the use of this equipment or data, and now Monroe is claiming the old electronic monitoring ankle bracelets are part of the new technology—making any claim necessary to associate catching a murder suspect with his expensive Command Center.
The CMPD and City STILL have not released dollars spent on this “top-secret” technology for security reasons, according to Police Chief Rodney Monroe and recently-retired City Manager Curt Walton. Tax payers were told they had to wait until after the DNC Convention first week of September, 2012, ended to be told how the security dollars had been spent. More than four months later, is there still a security threat to the visiting dignitaries last Fall?
No.
The finances for security spending still haven’t been disclosed.
