CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department joined several state and federal agencies for a high-visibility safety sweep in Uptown on Thursday.
Known as Operation Queen City Safe, the collaborative effort resulted in 18 arrests and the seizure of 11 illegal firearms, officials said.
The operation focused on hotspot areas, including Romare Bearden Park, First Ward Park, and Third Ward Park. Law enforcement teams used proactive enforcement to address narcotics activity, reckless driving and illegal weapons in Center City, CMPD officials said.
Participating agencies for the operation included the CMPD, Alcohol Law Enforcement, Mecklenburg County Alcohol Beverage Control and the FBI. Officers said they conducted high-visibility patrols and proactive enforcement to deter narcotics activity and remove illegal firearms from the area.
Traffic enforcement was a major component of the initiative, officials said. Officers conducted 170 traffic stops throughout the Center City area, resulting in 55 citations issued for various violations. Officials said they also worked to address reckless driving and street takeovers during the patrols.
In addition to the 18 arrests, law enforcement said they seized 11 firearms and 1,262.2 grams of narcotics. One search warrant was executed as part of the criminal enforcement efforts. Officers also recovered $1,353 in U.S. currency during the operation.
Officials said that the collaborative effort was necessary to strengthen the overall sense of safety in the Center City parks.
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