CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers are going door-to-door warning teens about the consequences of rowdy behavior over the Fourth of July weekend.
CMPD’s main concern is teen takeovers.
Officers have added safety features at Romare Bearden Park in Uptown. They installed more cameras and lights, which will stay there all year.
“Our main goal is to build relationships with juveniles and their families,” said Officer Emma Bellamy, who is a member of the CMPD Juvenile Priority Offender Strategy Team (JPOST).
The team visits the homes of young offenders. They warn kids and parents about the consequences they will both face if the young people break the law.
“Juvenile crime has become a serious problem, not only in Charlotte but nationwide,” said Bellamy. “We’re seeing kids younger and younger becoming involved in illegal activities.”
The team will visit 35 to 40 homes this holiday weekend.
That work will continue throughout the year as officers visit the most at-risk families every other week.
There are also extra patrols in areas, including Romare Bearden Park, to enforce laws and curfews.
Charlotte requires teens ages 13 to 15 to be accompanied by an adult or be home by 11 p.m., and kids under 13 must be home by 10 p.m.
Damien Tadlock-Pearsall lives near Romare-Bearden Park.
He said there have been issues there recently, including a teen takeover last weekend where 23 juveniles were arrested, and 13 parents were cited.
We didn’t know what was going on,” he said.
Tadlock-Pearsall said extra patrols have made neighbors feel safer, and they hope they stick around.
“I do feel safe now that we have more of a police presence here in Uptown,” Tadlock-Pearsall said.
Bellamy said she has seen success from making her own home visits.
“We can have a profound impact on these juveniles to where they realize that the path that they’re on currently is not sustainable and not healthy,” Bellamy said.
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
