Crime fell 26.6 percent in the first two months of this year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reported today.
Property crime was down 25.7 percent, while violent crime declined 32.9 percent. Seven homicides were reported through Feb. 28, compared with 13 in the same period last year.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe has credited Charlotte’s lower crime rates to increased police presence in high-crime neighborhoods. After arriving last year from Richmond Va., Monroe reassigned officers from desk duty back to the streets. He has asked for more officers to create smaller patrol districts.
Some of the statistics released today show:
- Robberies down 30.7 percent.
- Rapes down 13.2 percent.
- Aggravated assaults down 35.4 percent
- Residential and commercial burglaries down 26.4 percent.
- Reported vehicle thefts down 32.8 percent.
- Total larceny cases down 24.4 percent.
Arson was the only crime that showed an increase, up 4.2 percent.
Police made arrests in six out of seven reported murder cases for 2009 — an 86 percent clearance rate, compared with 46 percent cleared this time in ‘08.
Investigators made arrests in an additional 4 homicides from last year.
