CMPD Chief Admits "Hug-a-Thug" Not Working

After four years of rising violent crime and a record setting pace of homicides this year, CMPD's Kerr Putney says repeat violent offenders are the problem. Something CP has been saying since the liberal judiciary and elected officials in Charlotte started the "No Bail Fail" program in 2015.

Yesterday CMPD Chief Putney took to the airwaves giving one on one interviews with all the local media.

The web post of last night's interview from WBTV:

By David Hodges | November 25, 2019 at 7:04 PM EST - Updated November 25 at 10:09 PM CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) 

In a one-on-one interview with WBTV Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said that other partners in the criminal justice system need to “step up.” 

Putney said that CMPD has done as much as it can to fight the rising homicide count and that accountability needs to be shared. “The other criminal justice partners they have to step up, hold these repeat violent offenders accountable,” Chief Putney said. “I was saying it in the summer I’m saying it now I’m going to continue to say it until we have some movement.” 

CMPD reports that there have been 97 (CP Shows 98 after adjustments) homicides in Charlotte this year, far more than any year in recent history. Putney has previously said that CMPD receives too much attention for the homicide rate when other agencies also share the burden for fixing the problem. 

“At this point do you feel like everyone in the criminal justice system is taking responsibility for what’s happening with the homicide rate in the city of Charlotte?” WBTV Investigative Reporter David Hodges asked Putney. 

“I feel like the police department has,” Putney said. 

“But not some of the others?” Hodges asked. 

“I feel like the police department has. You need to ask them what they’ve done,” Putney said. "I can tell you what we’ve done. Violent crime arrests are up 18 percent, we’ve increased the number of illegal guns seized from the street, our people are engaging with the community in ways we never have, we’re having a huge policy change in the area of use of force. 

“We fundamentally changed and improved the way we’ve done business. Ask the rest of the partners if they’ve done so,” Putney said. 

Putney focused on the issue of repeat violent offenders and how the problem has provided fuel to the violent crime problem in Charlotte. 

“Have we gone too far with how some of these violent offenders are getting out on a relatively short timeline?” Hodges asked. 

“I think the beginning at its core was flawed,” Putney said. 

"The intent is low level non violent offenders and we (CMPD) continue to give them second chances." 

"However repeat violent offenders is a totally different and separate and apart topic. It is much more threatening to the safety of the community than low level first time offenders and that’s why we have to be strategic." 

“We can’t lump them all into the same category. We gotta be specific and intentional about how we go after repeat offenders s that we can have that accountability and we can reduce violent crime.”

Putney also called for more investments to be made in community programs that support youth and community engagement in historically dangerous neighborhoods. 

“There’s money that exists, we need to invest in those programs that work and we to do so yesterday,” Putney said.

CP has said and will continue to say that "The African American Community has become a culture of violence embracing gun play and criminality" 

While Black leaders in Charlotte will say that they are not violent, they via their silence condone and accept this sort of behavior. The common refrain of acceptance is that Charlotte is a big city and this sort of violence and crime is to be expected.

I say bullshit!

What Chief Putney won't say is that of the 97/98 homicides 73 of those individuals arrested for murder are African American and only 5 are white. Of those arrested 70% based on WBTV measurement had prior arrests for violent offenses. CP says based on records publicly avaiable nearly 78% had priors.

Vi Lyles, Garry McFadden, Judge Reagan Miller, are on the list that is shockingly long of elected leaders who have remained silent . Those who elect them equally share in the blame for this tragic situation. It is time for a change in regime. 

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