Local

Police chief Putney says CMPD is best option for unincorporated areas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Since 1996, Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte have had an agreement in which Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department patrol unincorporated areas of Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mint Hill and Pineville. Last week, county commissioners unanimously voted to terminate that agreement.

According to Assistant City Manager Ann Wall, 60,911 people live in extraterritorial jurisdictions, or ETJs, and they contribute $18 million a year to Charlotte for the services of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The $18 million amounts to 7 percent of the Police Department's budget. Around $12 million, or 70 percent, of the ETJ tax is from unincorporated Charlotte residents.

City leaders said Monday night they were surprised at the county’s decision. Council member Julie Eiselt, who chairs the community safety committee, said she wasn’t involved in discussions.

“I had not heard of this issue, but for me, it raises a lot of questions,” Eiselt said.

Mecklenburg County commissioners alleged CMPD Chief Kerr Putney was in favor of allowing Huntersville to patrol its unincorporated land. Chief Putney told the Charlotte City Council the statement is “an absolute falsehood.”

“I don't believe there is another agency that can provide better or more comprehensive service than CMPD, I never have believed that and I don't to this day,” Putney said.

Lawmakers in Raleigh are considering Senate Bill 5, which would allow Mecklenburg County municipalities to control their unincorporated land. The bill passed unanimously Monday and will be considered by the House in the coming weeks.

Should the bill fail, the county would have to come back to the city and negotiate or figure out policing for the unincorporated areas.

The termination goes into effect July 2018. It’s unclear if the 60,000 people living in unincorporated areas will have access to CMPD’s 911 center, hazmat crews, SWAT team, helicopter and crime lab. City leaders say these issues will be determined during the transition.

Chief Putney says no one will be left behind.

“We're not going to jeopardize the safety of our citizens worrying about whose jurisdiction it is,” he said.

City Manager Marcus Jones released the following statement on the policing of ETJs:

"I want to address the policing of Mecklenburg County’s extraterritorial jurisdictions (ETJs) and some of the misinformation due to inaccurate media reports and some accounts shared by the county. 

As you know, the safety of our community is among our top priorities. That’s why I have been working with city staff to analyze the full impact of the issue as we work toward a data-driven resolution that makes sense for our city and preserves the safety of our community.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) currently serves the City of Charlotte and unincorporated areas in Mecklenburg County.  As demonstrated by the Board of County Commissioners’ vote last night, Mecklenburg County is now reconsidering its decision to contract with the city for police coverage in the unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County. 

Regarding claims that conversations have been ongoing for a while, my first detailed discussion began on March 27 when I had a meeting with the Huntersville Interim City Manager, Huntersville Police Chief, Chief Putney, County Manager Diorio, and respective staff members.

On April 6, County Manager Diorio and I had a discussion about our need to understand the full impact of any changes to the policing agreement.  At that time, I indicated my willingness to address Huntersville's ETJ needs with an effective date of July 1, 2018 (FY 2019) without revising the existing inter-local agreement.  The County Manager stated she agreed with the principle, but needed to check with Huntersville.  In the meantime, city staff continued working to bring a fully vetted recommendation to City Council. 

The County Manager followed up and said Huntersville did not agree with the effective date of July 1, 2018, and wanted the changes to be effective within two months (July 1, 2017).  

On April 13, I offered multiple solutions, which included the City of Huntersville identifying the gaps in service and CMPD fulfilling those needs without an increase in cost to Huntersville or the county.  This approach would have given us time to work through a permanent change to the agreement.

On April 18, to our surprise (with no notification to the city), the County Commissioners voted for the dissolution of the current inter-local agreement to end the police service for all unincorporated areas of Mecklenberg County.  While the action of the Commissioners has been portrayed as an effort to get the City of Charlotte back to the table, we never left the table

During each of my discussions about this matter, I emphasized the importance of understanding how these decisions will affect our community. Plans will have to be made to determine how the unincorporated areas will be policed and how that service will be funded."