Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Rodney Monroe wants 125 new officers next fiscal year at a cost of $4.5 million, he told City Council Monday.
The request comes as city officials are looking to cut costs because of the worsening U.S. recession. Tax revenue to the city is expected to be down next year
Monroe, who took over in June, has said in the past that some CMPD districts are too big for police to effectively fight crime. He wants to divide them into smaller districts, which would require more officers.
Monroe said he also needs three crime analysts and 12 telecommunicators, as well as 125 electronic monitoring devices to track chronic offenders, the Charlotte Observer reported today. He estimated the cost at about $940,000.
Monroe on Monday rebuffed Observer reports last week that questioned his method of compiling crime statistics. Under his short leadership, the county’s crime rate has fallen dramatically.
Monroe credits the decline to better policing. He told council Monday his methods are consistent with those of previous Chief Darrel Stephens.
“No directives or implications have been communicated to capture or report crime differently,” Monroe was quoted as saying in today’s Observer. “(Neither) I nor any member of this department are under or feel pressure to manipulate crime.”
Read the complete story at charlotteobserver.com.
