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Community Services Bureau
Community Programs Overview
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Community Services Bureau strives to
demonstrate a daily commitment to community members by providing services including
mentoring and educational assistance, programs for youth including youth offenders to get
a second chance, and opportunities for individuals and groups to bridge different
perspectives through mutual understanding.
The Community Services Bureau (at-a-glance) manages the following:
• More than 60 CMPD-led programs
• More than 2,500 meetings and events annually
• More than 200,000 participants/attendees
CMPD offers several ways for youth and adults to engage with the department and for
officers to make a difference in the community. The youth programming overview starts on
page 2; the adult programming overview starts on page 16.
The following 35 youth programs are featured in this document:
• Youth Diversion Program……………………………………………………………………………..2
• REACH OUT……………………….……………………………………………………………………..3
• COPS & Kids…………………………………………………………………………………………….4
• KOPS & Kids Learn Spanish…………………………………………………………………………..4
• High School Youth Forums……………………………………………………………………………4
• LEVEL UP Youth Program……………………………………………………………………………..4
• REACH Academy……………………………………………………………………………………...5
• Academy of Safety and Protection……………………………………………………………….5
• Cadet Program………………………………………………………………………………………...6
• Youth Envision Academy…………………………………………………………………………….7
• Cops CARE & CARE Curriculum…………………………………………………………………….7
• Youth Symposium……………………………………………………………………………………...8
• Young Black Leadership Alliance…………………………………………………………………..8
• Camp Fusion…………………………………………………………………………………………...8
• Camp Lead Up Summer Leadership Institute……………………………………………………8
• College Internship Program………………………………………………………………………….8
• High School Explorers Program……………………………………………………………………10
• High School Academy……………………………………………………………………………...10
• Mayors Youth Employment Program…………………………………………………………….10
• Turning Point Academy Summer Exposure Experience Program…………………………..11
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• Police Activities League (PAL) …………………………………………………………………….11
• Promoting Peace Program…………………………………………………………………………12
• Right Moves for Youth……………………………………………………………………………….12
• University City Mentoring……………………………………………………………………………12
• Chief’s Youth Advisory Board (CYAB) …………………………………………………………...12
• Team Garinger………………………………………………………………………………………..13
• Bigs in Blue……………………………………………………………………………………………..13
• Storytime Traveler…………………………………………………………………………………….13
• Passport to Manhood……………………………………………………………………………….14
• Behailu Academy……………………………………………………………………………………14
• Promise Youth Development………………………………………………………………………14
• Bears Behind the Badge……………………………………………………………………………15
• Mentoring Program………………………………………………………………………………….15
• Community Engagement Trailer…………………………………………………………………..16
• Latino School Initiative………………………………………………………………………………16
Youth Diversion Program
The CMPD Youth Diversion Program provides an alternative to arrest while maintaining
accountability for delinquent acts and providing appropriate support to redirect behavior.
Youth referred to the program will be assessed during intake and assigned to an 8-hr
interpersonal skill building workshop. Staff and School Resource Officers will continue
providing services to youth for 14 weeks. Program providers will be monitored by Diversion
staff for quality assurance and use of best practices.
Since the program's inception in 2013, it has served approximately 3,900 participants and has
documented a recidivism rate of less than 10 percent. There were over 5,000 referred cases.
Over the last three years, CMPD Youth Diversion has continued to expand the program into
the municipalities of Matthews PD, Mint Hill PD, and Pineville PD which all have the option of
referring cases to the program.
When a minor offense is committed by a juvenile, a determination to arrest is at the CMPD
officer's discretion. The Youth Diversion Program provides an opportunity for an officer, often
the School Resource Officer, to divert youth who have committed a minor offense to this
program. Youth and their parent/guardian have the option to accept the charge and court
referral or participate in the Diversion Program. Youth accepted into the program are then
monitored by their School Resource Officer for approximately 14 weeks. Monitoring begins at
the time of referral until program completion, to assist in redirecting behavior and
providing support. During the 14 weeks, the Officer may discuss topics such as: progress at
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school, ways to cope with stress, methods for anger management, decision-making, choices
and consequences, program impact, family dynamics, over coming peer pressure, etc. In
an effort to measure for recidivism, after participating in the program youth are placed on a
CMPD "watch list" by the Diversion Specialists for 12 months.
Program results:
• Program completion – 89 percent completion rate
• Since program inception, 30 percent reduction in minority arrests
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL
Diverted 507 417 573 606 672 457 641 183 4,056
Completed 424 366 504 537 625 419 481 64 3,420
Recidivism
10.60% 9.56% 10.50% 12.10% 12.00% 9.76% 6.41% N/A 10.14%
%
This program is grant funded. It costs CMPD $9,200 to run (contractual programs $7,200
and training is $2,000).
REACH OUT
REACH OUT (Respect Engage Accountability Character Honesty
Officers Understanding Teens) is a collaborative effort of the
CMPD, Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, and
Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice to provide
services and resources to effectively and positively change the
lives of selected youthful offenders. The REACH OUT Program
provides weekly classes on topics such as positive
communications, decision making, interpersonal relationships,
healthy relationships, employment
readiness, and career paths. Participants receive community
service credit for each hour of class which count towards their
required 100 hours of community service for Deferred
Prosecution. A new restitution fund supplied by a private
foundation has allowed more youth the opportunity to
participate by allowing participating youth to earn funds for
payment to victims by performing community service. The
program seeks to build community trust by offering low level
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offenders a second chance and ensuring they become productive members of the
community.
Current participants in the 2020 program include 19 males and 14 females. The average age
of the participants is 19 years old.
COPS & Kids
COPS & Kids builds on the success of the COPS & Barbers program by moving the dialogue
into the school system to engage with middle and high school students. COPS & Kids seeks to
develop more meaningful partnerships with youth, educate youth about their rights and
responsibilities as citizens, demonstrate positive interactions with police, address common
misconceptions, and dispel common stereotypes. Events have been held in all Charlotte-
Mecklenburg high schools and have begun in the middle schools, reaching thousands of
students.
KOPS & Kids Learn Spanish
KOPS & Kids Learn Spanish, like COPS & Kids, also builds on the
success of COPS & Barbers. KOPS & Kids Learn Spanish builds
stronger relationships and better communication between Latino
youth and their families and
participating division officers. Officers
attend language classes taught by
the youth for 12 weeks. Area
congregations host the program,
which averages 25-30 youth and 15
officers.
High School Youth Forums
The High School Youth Forums offer the opportunity for CMPD officers to engage with youth
in informal question and answer sessions to talk about law enforcement.
LEVEL UP Youth Program
LEVEL UP Youth Program is a YMCA venture to provide teens with a safe space to engage
during the summer. CMPD officers partner with the YMCA to educate teens about their rights
and responsibilities as residents and interactions with police. Open dialogue sessions also
provide teens with opportunities to have engaging conversations with officers about the
profession. Officers will also work with groups of youth to help build planter boxes to beautify
neighborhoods and supply vegetables in several Charlotte communities. Youth will also be
exposed to future opportunities for other youth programs offered by CMPD.
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REACH Academy
• REACH Academy (Respect Engage
Accountability Character Honesty) builds positive
relationships between youth who harbor a mistrust
of police officers and CMPD officers. REACH
Academy promotes personal and social
responsibility and accountability through
leadership opportunities provided during a
weeklong summer program for up to 25 males
and 25 females per session. Due to COVID, CMPD has 20 males and 16 females in 2020
(12 Black males, 7 Asian males, 1 Latino male, 14 Black females, 2 White females).
The CMPD has collaborated with several community organizations to provide educational
field trips, career readiness, and vocational development classes for participants. Upon
graduation, youth may participate in a CMPD mentoring program along with the school
year booster sessions.
Over the course of six weeks, mentees work alongside instructors from CPCC, Rebuilding
Opportunities In-Construction (ROC), Goodwill and CMPD Officers to build positive
relationships between mentees, officers, educators and business leaders. This partnership
helps officers, educators and business leaders understand and address the issues mentees
face as they go about their day-to-day lives within their perspective communities.
Booster Sessions
Upon successful completion of the REACH Academy camp, mentees can continue the
relationship with the CMPD by attending two monthly sessions at CPCC during the
academic year. Mentees can also have an officer and or a college cadet mentor
individually assigned to conduct school visits, provide encouragement, support, and positive
alternatives.
Academy of Safety & Protection
The Academy of Safety & Protection (ASAP) is a first of its kind, public safety program for high
school students created through the collaborative efforts of the CMPD, CFD and Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). ASAP provides a course of study for students with a desire to
pursue a career in policing, firefighting or medical emergency services that includes a focus
on responsible choices. ASAP is housed at the Hawthorne Academy. During the 2019/2020
school year, the ASAP Program had over 250 students enrolled in the program. The ASAP
Program connected with the CMPD Explorers Program, and we had 25 ASAP Students
enrolled in the Explorers. The program is expanding in 2020/2021 school year with the
addition of an Emergency Management pathway and 911 Telecommunicator certification
for the students.
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Cadet Program
Under Chief Putney, the College Cadet Program
expanded from 10 Cadets to 20 Cadets. This paid
position provides qualified students the ability to
work up to 28 hours per week, while actively
enrolled in a local college. Cadets will have the
opportunity to work in a professional law
enforcement environment while learning about and
training for future employment as a CMPD police
officer. The program enhances the student's
knowledge of the CMPD, the City of Charlotte and
the community that we serve.
One of the program goals is for the cadets to become embedded in the department's
community engagement efforts. The Cadets have a chance to learn about the available
resources to improve the quality of life for our residents, and this information will become
beneficial when they become a police officer and assist with solving community problems.
Currently, the Cadets Program has a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of
Metrolina, Faith CME Church in Hidden Valley, and Friendship Trays, to name a few. In 2020,
the Cadets have assisted in packing and delivering over 12,000 backpacks full of food for
students and 3,000 meals for senior citizens through these partnerships.
The Cadets are currently sent through the City's Mentoring 101 training and become mentors
to youth in the department’s engagement programs and to youth within the
community. They provided tutoring to students involved in the CMPD Police Activities
League. During the coronavirus pandemic, they have been instrumental with the Virtual
Academic Support initiative assisting students with practical learning challenges.
The Cadets will develop the necessary skills to make them the type of police officer that
CMPD needs. Our aim is for them to be successful in community engagement,
communication, critical thinking and cultural competency. When the Cadets graduate
from College, they may enter a career as a CMPD officer with priority when applying for the
Police Academy.
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Youth Envision Academy
Youth Envision Academy is an eight-week program
introducing youth to Charlotte’s government,
business, and non-profit community. The CMPD
Youth Envision Academy was launched June 2017
following Chief Kerr Putney’s identification of the
need to extend meaningful opportunities to
underserved Charlotte area youth. With financial
support from Bank of America and the Hugh
McColl Foundation, this opportunity was made
possible. The Youth Envision Academy is currently
in its fourth year and continues to be a learning opportunity that exposes area high school
youth to paid work experiences at various Charlotte area businesses, non-profits, and
government agencies. The purpose of the program is to introduce youth to a rich
educational experience that will aid them in making informed decisions about future career
opportunities. In addition, the program also provides leadership development including an
introduction to the culture and climate of Charlotte. Through this program, youth have the
opportunity to “Envision” the economy, the environment, the health and well-being, the rich
history and the spirit of Charlotte.
A total of 50 youth, eight ambassadors, one intern and 22 CMPD mentors were selected for
the 2020 8-week immersion as they “Envision” their futures and the future of Charlotte. Each
year, Envision participants are selected from CMPD’s youth programs such as Diversion,
Team Garinger and Reach as a Segway to the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program.
Costs $26,400 per year (scholarships for mentors $16,400 and $10,00 for outings, journals,
clothing, food)
Cops CARE & CARE Curriculum
In response to the increasing impact of non-traditional gangs
and increasing requests for gang prevention workshops for
youth, CMPD created COPS CARE. COPS CARE is designed to
target 8th grade students (about 12,000 CMS middle school
students per year) in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS)
with the same message: making positive choices for positive
outcomes because COPS CARE and youth are worth it. Also,
a curriculum was designed for middle and high school
students to open the door for police and youth to discuss basic constitutional rights and
responsibilities in addition to valuable information on police/citizen encounters.
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Congratulations to Detective Mike Nguyen, Sgt. Catina Odom and Lt. Gene Lim for their
hard work in making CMPD’s Cops CARE a priority in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Cops CARE
was awarded the 2018 North Carolina Gang Investigators Association Program of the Year
award for the second year in a row.
Youth Symposium
CMPD’s Community Engagement Services sponsors Youth Symposiums to highlight the
department’s youth programs, expose youth to the law enforcement profession and various
programs offered by organizations throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Young Black Leadership Alliance
The Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA) consists of top
high school and college students that are well on their way to
influential positions in our community. YBLA members’ mission is
to promote positive images, develop leadership capabilities,
and establish and accomplish goals for academic excellence.
The CMPD is proud to count YBLA as one of our valued
partners.
Camp Fusion
CMPD hosts annually over Charlotte-Mecklenburg School high
school young men and women at John & Wales University. The
camp uses basketball, a common love of the athletes and
coaches, as a foundation for building relationships, not just
between the officers and students but positive relationships also
among students. The students participate on their high school
basketball team and because of the camp; they now play not
only against rivals, but new friends from the camp.
Camp Lead Up Summer Leadership Institute
A three-day program, Camp Lead Up Summer Leadership Institute, is designed to change,
challenge, and encourage youth to prepare them for their place of leadership in the future
and provide the tools necessary today for each to stand out in their respective schools and
communities. CMPD staff, in cooperation with Camp Lead Up staff, takes an active role in
exposing participants in the operation of the CMPD including the operation of the Police
Training Academy and team building exercises. The objective is to develop the talents of
each toward a positive method of expressing their abilities.
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College Internship Program
CMPD manages two internship programs – paid and unpaid – that introduces college juniors
and seniors to opportunities and disciplines within law enforcement. Interns are exposed to
effective problem-solving and partnership-building skills to gain a better understanding of
day-to-day operations of the CMPD. Two types of college internship program (pathways)
are offered. The first pathway, the Sworn Program, allows college interns that desire to
become sworn law enforcement officers, the opportunity to work in a CMPD Investigative,
Support Services, and/or Patrol Services Group for duration of his or her internship. The
second pathway, the Civilian Program, places college interns, desiring to focus their
internship on one specialized area of law enforcement, in a division predominately staffed
by civilians, including Crime Scene Search, Animal Care and Control, and Research &
Planning, and Crime Analysis.
After a very successful 2019 paid summer internship program, the 2020 paid summer
internship was expanded to include 13 interns for the program. The CMPD Recruiting Unit
received over 230 applications for the 2020 paid summer college internship program.
• 12 students and two ambassadors were selected based on interviews and resumes.
• The colleges represented by the interns were: NC A&T State University, NC Central
University, Clarke Atlanta University, University of NC Charlotte, Appalachian State
University, University of NC Wilmington, University of NC Greensboro, High Point
University, and Emory & Henry College – VA.
• All 13 interns have expressed an interest to be part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police Department after graduating college. All 13 interns are Criminal Justice majors.
• Two of the summer interns from the 2019 program were brought back for the 2020
program to be ambassadors for the program.
The 2020 Summer Internship Program is a 4-week program. (July 13 – August 7). The internship
is designed to expose interns to the different working functions of CMPD. The interns will have
the opportunity experience life in patrol which will include ride along, bike patrol, and
working with the community coordinators. The interns will also have the opportunity to mirror
a CMPD detective while doing a ride along in investigations. The interns will also have
classroom lectures in legal training, 360’ virtual training and C.L.E.A.R. workshop, and physical
fitness and nutrition. At the conclusion of the internship, the interns will present a case study
topic of their choosing to the CMPD command staff. The case study topic will be on a topic
that is currently impacting law enforcement and the community. The 2020 Summer Internship
will close with a capstone (Ropes Course).
Quick note: Keshon Jones and Eric Lansinger were members of the first Summer College
Intern Program, which had a total of six members. After completing the program, Eric
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Lansinger applied for the CMPD Cadet Program and was accepted. Eric is currently a
member of CMPD as a Cadet. Eric is also in the CMPD hiring process and expected to be a
recruit in Feb. 2021. At least four of the others have promised to become CMPD employees
after college. All six were Criminal Justice majors from surrounding universities.
High School Explorers Program
The CMPD High School Explorers Program introduces students to the
world of law enforcement. Sixty high school students participate and
are trained in several aspects of police work and have opportunities to
compete with other Explorer posts in state, region, and national
conferences. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the
CMPD Ride-Along Program that allows Explorers to ride in the patrol car with an experienced
Officer on the job. Explorers also have the opportunity to experience abbreviated versions
of an actual police academy. Costs $2,000 per year (uniforms, snacks, outings)
High School Academy
A one-week, hands-on course for young people, the High School Academy, is for those
youth interested in a career in law enforcement or students who would like to find out more
about the CMPD. Participants must be at least 14 years of age and in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or
12th grade. Topics covered during the week-long program includes team building, crime
scene investigation, criminal investigations, defensive tactics, traffic stops, building searches,
physical fitness, suspect encounters, and the responsibilities of wearing the badge. Costs
$500 per year.
Mayors Youth Employment Program
The goal of the Mayors Youth Employment Program (MYEP) is to seek
to build partnerships with host employers in the private, public, and
non-profit sectors of Charlotte’s economy who are able to provide
one-of-a-kind career experiences for MYEP participants that help
youth develop career goals, stay in school, achieve academically,
and enhance social skills that enable them to succeed in life. Students
connect to the world of work which enables businesses and
communities to know the needs and successes of the students and
schools. Internships are generally eight (8) weeks in duration and begin mid-June. Students
work 20 hours per week, at a minimum rate of $8.00 per hour. Annually, on average, the
CMPD provides opportunities for 40 MYEP youth.
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Turning Point Academy Summer Exposure Experience Program
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Turning Point Academy is a “re-direction” program
designed to meet the educational needs of “at-risk” students through therapeutic
intervention services, behavior and academic prevention, and intervention programs. In
partnership with CMS, CMPD School Resource Officers administer a 9-week Summer Exposure
Experience Program serving 20 middle and high school male students (18 Black males and 2
Latino males). SROs serve as mentors and teach the CMPD’s Citizen Accountability, Rights
and Education (CARE) curriculum. Programming also includes academic recovery,
community-based learning, literacy through music, entrepreneurship and poetry workshops.
Students also partake in many exciting activities, which include canoeing, paddle boarding,
therapy horseback riding, NASCAR experience and many other team-building activities.
Students are involved in community-based service projects such as the Hidden Valley
garden and providing supplies to the homeless population. This program allows the students
to feature their artistic side by participating in the literacy through music program and they
are currently filming feature film, as they do annually, using the students as actors,
developing the movie score, filming and movie production. This program provides 20 $500
scholarships to the students upon successful completion of the program.
Police Activities League (PAL)
The goal of PAL, established in 1968, is to create
opportunities for the youth of our community (ages 5-
17) that foster leadership and citizenship skills through
academics and athletics. PAL provides educational,
programmatic, and structured support to youth
housed within underserved communities. Sports and
academic enrichment programs
aid in improving decision-making skills and preparing youth for a
successful future.
PAL Programs include: 500 youth participate in various sports such as
Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cheerleading, Dance, Football, Martial
Arts, Soccer, Wresting, Afterschool Program, Summer Enrichment
Camp (three sites), Stem Robotics Program and Youth Mentoring.
Operating costs are $25,000 per year (for equipment, uniforms, referee fees, end of season
banquets)
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Promoting Peace Program
This Arts Endowment Project collaborative is designed to
help heal the divide between vulnerable young people
and the officers that patrol their neighborhoods. The
program works to improve community relations by giving
Officers and teenagers a place to come together,
connect, and give voice to their feelings. Each workshop
focuses on creating open dialogue and addressing social
justice issues through collaborative art. Community
partners include the CMPD, Transforming Youth
Movement, Inc., Community School of the Arts, visiting professional artists, and speakers and
facilitators across a variety of disciplines.
Right Moves for Youth
Right Moves for Youth (RMFY) was founded by Police Officer, Dave Scheppegrell (retired
Sergeant) and businessman Frank Bragg. The heart of the program is the strong partnership
with the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System, CMPD,
YMCA, Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, Charlotte
Housing Authority, and the community. Since its
beginning, RMFY has provided services to more than
30,000 students. RMFY life-skills based curriculum helps
engage students in topics including personal
development, health and wellness, education
(college and career exploration), decision
making/organization, relationships, and finances. This curriculum assists students with
developing the skills to face real world challenges and make positive contributions to our
community. RMFY provides programs at 29 CMS sites, the equivalent of 32 middle and high
schools, reaching 1,800 students.
University City Mentoring
Six Officers partner with Stoney Creek Elementary School and Mallard Creek Elementary
School to mentor 15 students at each school. School staff selects students who exhibit
behavioral, academic, and/or social challenges. Officers organize and take these students
on field trips, participate in beautification projects, and other team building activities.
Chief’s Youth Advisory Board (CYAB)
The Chief’s Youth Advisory Board (CYAB) is comprised of 30 diverse high school and college
students from area schools, provides students the opportunity to communicate issues
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concerning youth and police relations as they meet with the Chief Putney and members of
the CMPD’s Executive Staff. The primary function is to promote trust and understanding
between CMPD and the City’s youth. These students are responsible for communicating with
their student body peers to identify issues and present them at the meetings.
Team Garinger
A mentorship program and initiative launched by Chief Kerr Putney has provided
mentorship, life skills development and summer employment opportunities to over (40) inner-
city youth ages 14-16 over the last several years. Since 2018, five students each year are
given a special opportunity to earn income as they grow and develop by being a part of
the Envision Academy. The employment and empowerment of these students connected to
the program through their participation in the mentorship program has produced its class of
graduating seniors, leaders and success stories.
Bigs in Blue
Connecting CMPD Officers and youth through mentoring is the objective of Bigs in Blue. This
program is a one-to-one mentoring program that connects police officers with youth to build
strong, trusting, and lasting relationships. The result of these relationships can help build
stronger bonds between police officers and the families they serve. Officers serve as mentors
and role models who are caring, supportive and dependable. For a few hours each month,
Officers build friendships through a variety of activities including reading, doing homework,
playing sports, going to a ball game, or watching a movie. The most important thing Officers
do is listen. Showing interest in a child makes a profound positive difference in a child’s life.
Storytime Traveler
The Storytime Traveler is a mobile library created by Officers
from the Steele Creek Division. Created out of a reading
program started by two Steele Creek Patrol Division Officers
at the Arrowood Villas Apartments, they noticed that some
children did not have age-appropriate books in their homes.
The reading program grew into seeking and receiving
donated child age-appropriate books from the community.
The culmination is a mobile trailer with over 2,000 books that
now travels to neighborhoods in need. An appreciative
parent expressed that his 8-year-old daughter has become a confident and active reader
since participating in the Storytime Traveler Program.
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Passport to Manhood
An eight-week course taught to male students ages 8-16 focusing on positive interactions
leading young men becoming men. Class discussions range from respect, goals, establishing
good credit, personal financing, being a good person, proper dress attire, and other
essential lessons in becoming a man.
Behailu Academy
Open to teens 14 years and older, Behailu Academy is a year-long
dialogue, meeting monthly, where 50 teens share a meal and
perspectives and a “tough talk” about teen-related issues to learn
and grow from each other. The goal of Behailu Academy is to
prepare youth to be active, responsible and self-sufficient citizens
after high school graduation. Several teens, through their
interaction with Officers, have joined the CMPD’s Explorer
Program.
Promise Youth Development
Weekly, 60 students meet with 12-15 CMPD Officers who attend
Wednesday evening sessions to mentor youth and discuss topics
including manners, respect, how to excel in school, careers
students want as adults, and summer book reading with weekly
discussions. “Before you can mentor youth, Major Nelson Bowling
explained, you have to have a relationship and relationship
building is extremely time-consuming; yet rewarding.” The
consistency of Officers coming every Wednesday, knowing how
each young person is doing at school, their needs, and Officers
helping each young person with their particular situation, without
seeking recognition, builds a two-way strong bond of trust and a real relationship. For
example, Officers filled an essential need by providing each young person with a backpack
containing school supplies. When one young teenager was seen riding a small child’s sized
bike, an Officer asked him about it and independently obtained a new bicycle for the
teenager within days. The teen was overjoyed as this is his primary source of transportation.
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Bears Behind the Badge
Carolina Panthers Middle Linebacker Luke Kuechly
(L), on behalf of the Carolina Panthers Player
Impact Fund, presents a check in the amount of
$5,000 to CMPD Officers of the University City
Division for their "Bears Behind the Badge" program.
Bears Behind the Badge, is a program for children in
kindergarten through third grade that emphasizes
reading, writing and helps build bonds between the
youth and officers. Many children have few books of
their own. The students also receive a stuffed animal
from the officers that becomes their reading buddy.
The program was started to help encourage young
children to work on their reading skills and to build
partnerships in the neighborhoods.
Mentoring Program
CMPD Community Engagement has developed a partnership with Communities In Schools
(CIS) and the Community Relations Committee (CRC) to provide school-based mentoring
support for CMS students in grades 6-12 --- for about 125 students (121 Black males, 3 Latino
males, 1 Asian male). Each of the CIS site coordinators are assigned a set caseload of
students to support and closely monitor throughout the duration of their middle school and
high school journeys. These students have a history of behavioral and emotional challenges
that negatively impact their academic performance.
Through our partnership with CIS and the CRC, we’ve created mentoring groups who meet
one hour per week with 10-15 students at each school. Our intention is to create a safe
space for students to share about the issues that impact them, including, but not limited to
domestic violence, absent parents, peer pressure, self-esteem and substance abuse.
Through engaging students in these in-depth conversations, we’ve been able to establish
mentoring relationships with hundreds of at-risk students over the course of three consecutive
academic years, and we’re currently in the process of leveraging web-based platforms to
continue our student engagement in the era of Covid-19. While we’ve established
mentoring groups at 10 CMS schools, we’ve received requests to continue expanding into
more schools and are often referred by the CIS site coordinators. Program costs are $4,000
per year.
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Community Engagement Trailer
With funding from Circle K, CMPD Community Engagement obtained an enclosed trailer to
take to community events for engagement opportunities. The trailer has four video gaming
systems, two televisions, interactive games and team building exercises for youth and adults.
Latino School initiative
The purpose of this initiative is to have police officers, specifically female officers, interacting
with 12-16-year-old Hispanic females from Quail Hollow Middle School. The interactions are to
foster avenues for communication between local police and the Latino community. The
initiative aims to build strong relationships to provide young females with a positive
interaction with the police, and to provide a more intimate look into what the job of a police
officer entails. It is also for police officers to gain a better understanding and appreciation for
life in the Latino community, gaining a deeper knowledge of the culture and values of this
growing population in our community.
The vision for the initiative is to build and foster a relationship between the Latino community
and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Not only are the young females
affected by positive interactions with police officers, but the positive impacts extend to their
families. One of the goals is for officers to gain a better knowledge and appreciation for the
culture and values of the Latino community. It is also important that officers get exposure to
the Spanish language and are able to gain the ability to speak or say certain phrases or
common sayings.
A long-term goal would be some of the young females gain an interest in the through
exposure and interactions with female officers. There are opportunities within the
department, for example the Explorers Program, in which they can participate while in high
school.
The following adult programs are featured in this document:
• REACH OUT……………………………………………………………………………………………17
• Cadets……………………….…………………………………………………………………………17
• Interns…………………………………………………………………………………………………..17
• CPCRT………………………………………………………………………………………………..…17
• Bridge the Difference and Ambassador programs……………………………………………18
16Community Services Bureau
Community Programs Overview
REACH OUT
• Develops Life skills, decision making, resume writing, interviewing skills who have a first-time
felony conviction.
• Upon program completion they receive expungement, job opportunity, laptop, and hotspot.
Can also earn money for restitution that is paid directly to victim
• 237 Felons have completed program and had their records expunged
• 4% recidivism (have not committed a new crime)
Cadets
• 20 Cadets
o Must be Criminal Justice Major
o Work 28 hours per week
o Introduces the opportunity to work in a professional law enforcement environment with
a goal of future employment at CMPD
o 99% have graduated from their college
• Federal Grant funding for salary
• CMPD cost $1,000 for uniforms
Interns
• 230 applicants
• 13 paid interns in 2020
• Private donation is funding
CPCRT – Community Policing Crisis Response Team
• Launched in April 2019
• The program has 8 officers and 6 clinicians
• Responded to over 2,800 calls for service
• If officers are not responding to a call, they are proactive --- meeting with community
members, conducting follow ups, etc.
• Approximately half were able to be referred to services
• Diverted 62% of community members from jail or psych hospitals; these issues were
solved on the scene. (8% would have gone to jail)
17Community Services Bureau
Community Programs Overview
Bridge the Difference and Ambassador programs
o Bridge the Difference aims to bring various points of view together to discuss a
range of public safety topics to bridge gaps and create mutual understanding
from different perspectives.
▪ 32 events (including topics such as violent crime and the criminal justice
system, immigration, access and opportunity, police support and
accountability, building a positive future for youth)
▪ More than 5,000 participants
o The Ambassador program is comprised of a cross-section of residents who assist the
CMPD and actively contribute to the wellbeing, peace and stability of the City of
Charlotte through an apolitical lens.
▪ 600 Ambassadors and growing
18You can also read
