City proposes funding to equip CMPD with better gear

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte City Council is taking steps to better equip Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officers after a shooting last month, which took the lives of four law enforcement officers.

Councilmembers introduced funding proposals Monday afternoon for things they want added to Charlotte’s $4.2 billion budget.

The city staff will go through each request and next week, the Charlotte City Council will vote on whether to add them to the budget.

At $747,000, Councilman Tariq Bokhari, R-District 6, requested that the city buys active shooter kits, outer carrier vests, and ballistic shields for CMPD.

Bokhari said those ballistic shields are the strongest available on the market. His proposal calls for at least three at each division, so they can be used in high-pressure situations.

“These ballistic armor shields are the best you can get. Nothing is perfect but these are the best,” he said.

The Charlotte City Council also voted to extend its health insurance benefits to the spouse of a worker who dies on the job. Currently, it expires after three years. Now it will stay in place until the spouse remarries or turns 65.

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‘One of the greatest’: Friends, family mourn CMPD officer killed in east Charlotte shootout

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