CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 spoke with the chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Tuesday about the 1-year anniversary of the Charlotte riots.
[Special Section: Charlotte Riots One Year Later]
Chief Kerr Putney, CMPD and the city of Charlotte have been through a lot in the past year.
Marches and violence broke out in the streets, with enmity directed at the Police Department in the wake of the Keith Scott shooting.
In response, the department said it has improved transparency in the last year but some community activists such as Robert Dawkins said the department has not gone far enough.
"What seems to be getting lost is a push for police accountability. We’re hoping this week will bring people's attention to what else can the city of Charlotte, what can the general assembly, do to help promote police accountability," Hawkins said.
[READ MORE: Review: CMPD's response to Keith Scott shooting was in line with policies]
Putney has been guiding the CMPD through one of the most difficult stretches in its history.
"There is a lot of difficult steps between last September and tomorrow," Putney said.
The department has been striving to improve community relations and being more transparent and he believes that strategy is working.
"There are some who were protesting who are now working with us making us better, teaching us how to increase our level of empathy," Putney said.
Two families were affected by the shooting, Scott's family and Brantley Vinson, the officer who pulled the trigger and was cleared by the district attorney.
"He made a difficult decision, and it's a decision any officer could encounter any given day," Putney said.
The chief said he has empathy for both families.
"I know Officer Vinson and his family, and they are strong,” Putney said. “They are close-knit, but they have been impacted significantly."
Putney said they won't be able to reach everyone out in the community because he is a realist, but the department can still extend a hand and he believes they are doing that.
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