Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Thursday that overall crime was down in the opening quarter of 2026, even as homicides increased.
Overall crime was down by 23% in the first quarter. That includes a 23% decrease in property crime and an 18% drop in violent crime.
Despite those gains, the city recorded 22 homicides — nearly a 40% jump compared to the same time last year.
Today, we will be presenting our 1st Quarter Public Safety Briefing, offering a detailed look at current crime trends and the proactive strategies and partnerships driving meaningful progress. From January 1 - March 31, overall crime fell by 23%, including an 18% reduction in… pic.twitter.com/p3WX6ri4za
— CMPD News (@CMPD) April 16, 2026
CMPD Chief Stella Patterson said most of the killings involve people who know each other.
"We're not seeing necessarily — that we know of — where there's like gang activity and that kind of thing, where there's repeated retaliation," Patterson said. "It appears that in most of our homicides, the victim and the suspect were known to one another."
CMPD said that the Center City’s Restoration of Order, Wellness and Nonviolence, or CROWN initiative, focused on safety in uptown and South End has seen success. CMPD Sergeant Edwin Morales highlighted the results of those efforts so far this year.
"In the first quarter of 2026, CROWN interactions resulted in 1,457 traffic stops, 288 arrests, 102 firearms seized and approximately 3,489 grams of suspected illegal narcotics recovered," Morales said.
CMPD also noted an improvement in public transit safety after collaborating with the Charlotte Area Transit System to add security officers. Officials said crime on the Blue Line dropped by 69% of the opening quarter.
