Charlotte City Council gathered Monday night for a public forum and business meeting. Much of the discussion revolved around safety and policing on the light rail on the one-month anniversary of Iryna Zarutska’s murder, which made national headlines in the weeks that followed. 

With many public forum speakers addressing crime on the light rail and elsewhere, council was scheduled to vote on whether to expand the jurisdiction of Professional Police Service (PPS), the company currently contracted to provide security on CATS properties, which turned into a broader discussion about the response to Zarutska’s murder.

On the Agenda:

• Public Forum
• Light Rail Policing
• Other Business Items: Road Projects and ADUs

Public Forum

The first speaker in the public forum asked that the city stop sharing phone numbers of public forum speakers without their consent, among other recommendations regarding public forum policy and free speech.

The next speaker addressed the recent murders of Iryna Zarutska and Jayce Edwards, proposing that the city fund construction of a new psychiatric facility, make a serious effort toward improving CMPD recruitment, and provide supplementary grant funding for the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s office to confront its staffing shortage.

The next speaker also discussed homelessness and crime, asking that the city make an effort to revitalize Uptown in a similar fashion to how her hometown of Greeneville, South Carolina did. 

“We are working very hard on this but sometimes it’s not visible what we’re doing,” replied Mayor Lyles.

The owner of a real estate firm that owns an apartment complex in Charlotte said they’ve experienced shootings, overdoses, prostitution and arson at the site. “We can’t succeed when the city doesn’t succeed. How can we work together to relocate and house the unhoused population in this city?” he asked. 

Another speaker asked that the city install red light cameras that also ticket speeders trying to beat yellow lights. “I’ve seen so many changes in this city for better or for worse, but even drivers from Massachusetts have commented on the abysmal state of the drivers here, and that’s saying something” he quipped. 

One woman said that, as a regular Blue Line rider, she and other women feel unsafe on the light rail every day. She shared some of the disturbing things she’s witnessed on the train, including witnessing a man begin to undress on the train before deboarding at the Charlotte Transit Center and punching a woman who was standing on the platform in the face. 

She asked that the city place at least one security officer on every train at all times, or at least after dark, regardless of the cost.

“Violent crime and murders are down in Charlotte and we have CMPD and our city council to thank for that,” the speaker continued, “but when we face setbacks like what happened to Iryna, we must double down and continue fighting to make the city safer.”

“When criminals continue to break the law, the gavel of justice ought to come down hard,” said the next speaker. He asked that the city “massively” increase the budget for CMPD.

Another speaker requested that the city change its overgrown vegetation ordinance to allow for the growth of biodiverse pollinator gardens rather than manicured lawns. “One of the chief reasons that pollinator populations are imperiled is habitat loss. Help us reverse that loss.”

Another speaker returned to the topic of safety on the light rail, saying the Archdale station near his home is in disrepair and has many people experiencing homelessness hanging around. 

“Charlotte used to have this small-town feel, but we’re now a big city, we need to start thinking like a big city,” he said before asking for more ticket enforcement and security.

One resident who said she attended a trade school and has been a registered nurse for 30 years suggested that the city fund the construction of a trade school for kids graduating high school who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness to help them pursue careers with living wages.

Policing on the Light Rail

While Brent Cagle did present city council with some immediate safety measures during a presentation in early September, Monday marked the first new action taken by council in response to Iryna Zarutska’s killing. 

Council members spent around 90 minutes discussing a vote to expand the jurisdiction of Professional Police Service (PPS), the company currently contracted to provide security on CATS properties.

The first concrete action taken by council in response to Iryna Zarutska’s killing, council is now discussing tonight’s vote to expand the jurisdiction of Professional Police Service (PPS), the company currently contracted to provide security on CATS properties.

Read more: How Iryna Zarutska’s Killing Sparked a National Outrage

The vote would authorize PPS officers to enforce federal, state and local laws within the expanded areas of jurisdiction, including areas adjacent to the Charlotte Transit Center, East Trade Street and sidewalks, the Rail Trail and sidewalks surrounding all transit centers.

The training director with PPS confirmed that the company’s officers are sworn law enforcement officers who undergo similar training to CMPD officers and are armed while on duty.

“It is not a significant expansion, it certainly is a limited expansion of their ability to conduct enforcement activities in specific areas outlined in the agreement,” said CATS interim CEO Brent Cagle. 

He confirmed that PPS has primary law enforcement jurisdiction on CATS properties, though they sometimes collaborate with CMPD. Malcolm Graham said he would like to see CMPD take over all law enforcement responsibilities related to CATS at some point in the future.

According to Cagle, the new expansion will not limit the existing jurisdiction of CMPD in the spaces where PPS will now also have jurisdiction.

Dante Anderson acknowledged that many constituents say they don’t feel any security presence on the light rail, something Malcolm Graham confirmed when he said he recently rode the Lynx to observe the experience and never saw any security officers during his whole trip. 

Cagle said PPS is working to increase officers and have hired new officers while CMPD upped its presence around CATS properties by 800 hours, including the launch of a new bike unit and UTVs that traverse the Rail Trail. He said residents should be seeing the increased security measures in effect immediately. 

“People are watching us and they’re asking, ‘Where’s the passion? Where’s the energy?’” said Ed Driggs. “There’s a bit of a war going on right now, it may be a war of public opinion, it may be a literal war of safety, but we’re going to have to demonstrate a lot of commitment.” 

Driggs said Monday night’s vote would be a good first step, but “we’re going to need scale, something big.” He discussed rethinking the social contract, noting that there are people who “are not misbehaving but are making people uncomfortable … So are we going to get rough with them? How do we treat them?”

Driggs pointed out that next year will likely bring the formation of a new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority to replace CATS. Cagle confirmed that this new MPTA will likely have an independent police force separate from CMPD and PPS. 

Edwin Peacock asked where the majority of crime is occurring within the CATS system right now. Cagle said there are certain hotspots that become so at certain times, “but these incidents occur throughout the system just like they do throughout the community.” 

Peacock asked why CMPD is not the policing agency for CATS, to which Cagle responded that CATS has worked under a corporate security model “for many years.”

Peacock said that he simply wants to see cops on trains. “The citizens are really confused right now … They do not feel safe and people want to know, are we responding to it.” 

Cagle said the agency is working to increase visibility while also working on other technology-based measures.

“The system can get better from a safety, frequency, modernization, innovation and technology standpoint with additional resources, but without those resources it will become a difficult conversation about sending resources from CMPD to somewhere else,” says Marcus Jones.

Cagle emphasized that cities around the country deal with fare evasion and crime. “This is not something that a closed system or authority or governance structure resolves. This is something that agencies of all sizes of all, of all structures are struggling with. It’s a nationwide thing.”

LaWana Mayfield said she was noticing a narrative form that folks experiencing homelessness are the ones riding the light rail without paying when all sorts of people with the ability to pay are riding without doing so. “I don’t want us setting up a precedent where we are giving space to profile anyone.”

“This is a much bigger picture beyond transit,” said Victoria Watlington. “This recent tragedy has driven national interest because it is truly shocking and heartbreaking, however, there are at least 42 other victims that we have seen this year in this city that haven’t drawn nearly as much attention.” 

Watlington said we need to look beyond political theatre to community solutions and, despite portrayals of Charlotte as a lawless place, “We know that’s not who we are.”

Renee Johnson said it was unacceptable that council members asked shortly after Iryna Zarutska’s killing for crime stats on and along the Blue Line and the data is still being compiled. She said she couldn’t think of any other organization that would take so long to fulfill such a request.

Marcus Jones said the data should be ready by the end of day on Tuesday. Cagle explained that it’s taken so long because there are discrepancies between the way crime is tracked and logged on public transit by the Federal Transit Authority compared to normal FBI crime statistics. 

Renee Johnson asked if there’s a goal to put an officer on every train. “That is not feasible today,” says Cagle. “As we continue to develop strategies, I do not believe that will be feasible in the future but it is clearly not feasible today.”

The motion to expand PPS’s jurisdiction was approved unanimously. 

Other Business Items: Road Projects & ADUs

In his Manager’s Report, city manager Marcus Jones said his office has moved civilians into certain positions that were once filled by sworn law enforcement officers but didn’t need to be, such as the manager of the 911 dispatch center, so as to put around 30 more police officers on the street at any given time doing actual policing.

He also pointed out that the city’s water department has partnered with local breweries Lenny Boy Brewing Co. and Town Brewing to release two more beverages made with highly purified recycled water. Last year we reported on the release of Town’s Renew Brew, which was the first such collaboration. 

Read more: Town Brewing Redefines Sustainability in the Craft Beer Scene (2024)

Council accepted $11,170,000 from NC DOT for upgrades to Brown Grier Road in Steele Creek. Work will include widening the two-lane road to four lanes with a median and adding shared-use paths on both sides of Brown Grier Road and along Sandy Porter Road. Work is expected to start in 2029.

Council accepted $15,819,000 from NC DOT for the Eastway Drive/Shamrock Drive Intersection Project that will include adding bike lanes and other pedestrian infrastructure at the intersection. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2029.

Council was scheduled to vote on allocating $1.7 million to fund a new Accessory Dwelling Unit pilot program that would have included the construction of four single-family homes and accompanying ADUs. The idea is that the city sells the property to a “low-income owner” who can then rent out the ADU to develop a new income stream. 

Following a drawn-out conversation in which council members raised a number of questions about the funding model that couldn’t be answered right away, the item was sent back to committee for more research. The vote will happen at a later date.

Charlotte City Council will not meet next week and will next come together on Oct. 6 for committee discussions.