CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is putting an emphasis on stopping juvenile crimes, which data shows is on the rise, and one afforable housing complex is lowering crime rates as a community too.

Over the past few months, CMPD announced a new initiative to combat juvenile crime, called J.A.D.E. In 2023, officers say they made more than 3,000 juvenile arrests, a 34% increase from the previous year.  More than 100 juveniles were suspects in shooting investigations, which is up 33%.

What You Need To Know

  •  The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is putting a emphasis on stopping juvenile crimes, as they continue to rise in the city

  • Through new efforts, Little Rock Afforable Housing in Charlotte is lowering crime by half

  • In 2023, CMPD officers made more than 3,000 juvenile arrests, a 34% increase from the previous year

“We don't do this on our own, the residents who live here know what's happening here, and they know who the troublemakers are. So they needed a safe space to be able to share what's happening. We created this 'see something, say something' program that does have a financial reward so they can let us know what's happening because they know better than anyone," said Inlivian representative Cheron Porter. 

Porter said at one point, the Little Rock Apartments in Charlotte was considered an unsafe community, with several concerns including lack of staffing.

"We took over the property in November of 2022, and when we came to the site, there was only one staff person, there was no maintenance people, rent hadn't been collected in a better part of two years," Porter said.

The other major concern was the rising crime in the complex, which they said grew because of lack of surveillance.

"We're not police officers, we can't stop crime, but we can certainly help with solutions to it. Again, we don't do it by ourselves again, we do it with partners and key to that, yes, was getting operational cameras," Porter said.

Cameras were just one part of the solution, according to Porter. It also took more street lights, patrols from Charlotte police and trimming of hedges to avoid hideouts for unwanted activity.

"We've had a 56% reduction in violent crimes here, that's tremendous. It's also said, [to] be honest with you, it's hard because no one should live in that environment and we don't want our residents to live in that environment whatsoever," Porter said.

Street signs in th eneighborhood have posters that say things like "stop the killing," "stop the violence" and "be the change," or sidewalks that are engraved with "RIP."

"That message is all about accountability. If you want to see a change, you got to be able to open up your mouth and let us know what's going on," Porter said. "We are being the change, they are the change, and it's changed this community quite a bit."

Porter said that the neighborhood is also providing programs for teens as summer kicks off so that they’re active and avoiding activities that may enable bad behavior.