Crime in Charlotte declined 17.3 percent in January 2010, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported Wednesday.

Reported cases of property crimes fell 19.4 percent. The rate of violent crime stayed flat. Four homicides were reported last month, compared with seven in January 2009 – a 42.9 percent decrease.

The January decline continued a trend reported for much of last year, both nationally and in Charlotte.

While many factors contribute to local crime rates, CMPD leaders said the department worked harder last year to focus on “priority offenders,” a relatively small group of individuals who account for a disproportionate amount of the city’s criminal activity.

CMPD currently classifies more than 2,000 people as priority offenders, but a much smaller number – perhaps 130 or so -- are weeded out for even closer scrutiny.

In 2009, 245 priority offenders were arrested a combined 632 times for crimes ranging from armed robbery to auto theft, CMPD reported.

Working closely with other branches of the criminal justice system such as probation officers and the Mecklenburg district attorney’s office, CMPD last year established the Priority Offender Strategy Team (POST) to track repeat offenders as they move through the system.

On Wednesday, Deputy Police Chief Kerr Putney said POST is yielding results.
“We are positive that taking the priority people out of play is lowering the crime rate,” he said.

January Crime Numbers:
Robberies, down 8 percent
Rapes, down 42 percent
Aggravated assaults, up 14 percent
Burglary, down 9 percent
Vehicle theft, down 29 percent
Larceny, down 22 percent
Arson, up 13 percent.
Source: CMPD

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