Charlotte, North Carolina News
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North Carolina Unemployment Rises To 5.4 Percent
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Struggling Economy Doesn't Appear To Keep Race Fans AwayLowe's Motor Speedway officials said there's a good turnout for this weekend's races.
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Richmond's chief wins Charlotte job
Rodney Monroe, whose engaging personality and record of aggressive crime fighting won over city leaders and residents alike, will start work as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief in June.For the past three years, Monroe has commanded the Police Department in Richmond, Va., where he's presided over a steady decrease in crime. During his tenure, the homicide rate dropped to a 26-year low last year.Monroe is a hands-on leader who shows up at homicide scenes and strives to foster relationships in neighborhoods. Fellow officers say he demands accountability but also values officers' ideas.Monroe couldn't be reached Thursday, but he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch: "It's got to be the toughest decision I've ever made in my life."In a Charlotte news release, he said: "I have admired all that Charlotte has accomplished and respected CMPD from afar, and now I have the opportunity to take a great organization to the next level, creating an even safer community for citizens."Monroe, who turned 51 Thursday, spent two decades with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. In 2001, he became chief in Macon, Ga., where a federal investigation continues into the spending of a grant under police control. He was not accused of wrongdoing.Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton, who offered Monroe the job Thursday, cited his "extraordinary passion" for law enforcement and crime prevention, his outstanding communication skills and broad experience. Of the three finalists -- including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Chief Jerry Sennett and Atlanta Assistant Chief Alan Dreher -- Monroe was the only police chief.Neither Sennett nor Dreher returned calls Thursday.Monroe, takes the helm at a time when public confidence in CMPD has waned, despite a violent crime rate that's declined in the last decade. Property crime rates, though, have risen in four of the past five years under retiring Chief Darrel Stephens.Last month, the department released figures showing the number of property and violent crimes was higher in the first three months of this year than in 2007. Several brazen crimes recently in historically low-crime neighborhoods have prompted residents to demand solutions.Charlotte officials lauded Walton's choice."I think he'll bring a new vision and strategy ... especially on gang issues," said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. "He'll be an excellent communicator and convey a get-tough attitude."Monroe will begin his new job by June 16 and make $185,000 per year -- $20,000 more than he made in Richmond. Stephens makes $163,909.Several Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers said Thursday they were pleased with Monroe's hiring. The choice also allays a longstanding complaint among some CMPD officers, that the department lacks diversity and has few high-ranking minorities.Monroe becomes Charlotte's first African American police chief."I think he will see things totally differently because of the experience he's had ...," said Norris Anderson, a retired CMPD major. "Very simply, he will not come in and be a black police chief. He will be a police chief who happens to be black."Charlotte has gained a national reputation for its community-based policing, a strategy that emphasizes building relationships with residents to help prevent and fight crime. Chief Stephens champions the method but critics charge that his officers haven't been aggressive enough.Monroe, during a Charlotte public forum Tuesday, said he also emphasizes community policing: "I'm a firm believer that everything gets done in the neighborhoods." But he said he believes in strong, visible responses to crime.After the forum, community leaders and residents praised Monroe for his candor and personable style.Monroe came up through the Washington, D.C., police force in the 1980s and '90s, a time when the city struggled with record violent crime. Homicides there peaked at 472 in 1990.He commanded one of D.C.'s most violent districts.In a letter to the Observer last week, former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chief Dennis Nowicki urged the city to look at the history of the Washington force during the years Monroe served in leadership roles. While the Charlotte force "enjoys an outstanding reputation...," the letter said the Washington force "doesn't come close."Nowicki declined to elaborate when contacted by the Observer.In Richmond, officials and police officers were sorry to see Monroe leave."Several police officers were upset when they learned Monroe would be leaving," said Richmond council member Reva Trammell. "I told them we've got to let him go and be happy for him."
Charlotte.com – 20 hours, 41 minutes ago ¦ comment?
Rodney Monroe, whose engaging personality and record of aggressive crime fighting won over city leaders and residents alike, will start work as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief in June.For the past three years, Monroe has commanded the Police Department in Richmond, Va., where he's presided over a steady decrease in crime. During his tenure, the homicide rate dropped to a 26-year low last year.Monroe is a hands-on leader who shows up at homicide scenes and strives to foster relationships in neighborhoods. Fellow officers say he demands accountability but also values officers' ideas.Monroe couldn't be reached Thursday, but he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch: "It's got to be the toughest decision I've ever made in my life."In a Charlotte news release, he said: "I have admired all that Charlotte has accomplished and respected CMPD from afar, and now I have the opportunity to take a great organization to the next level, creating an even safer community for citizens."Monroe, who turned 51 Thursday, spent two decades with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. In 2001, he became chief in Macon, Ga., where a federal investigation continues into the spending of a grant under police control. He was not accused of wrongdoing.Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton, who offered Monroe the job Thursday, cited his "extraordinary passion" for law enforcement and crime prevention, his outstanding communication skills and broad experience. Of the three finalists -- including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Chief Jerry Sennett and Atlanta Assistant Chief Alan Dreher -- Monroe was the only police chief.Neither Sennett nor Dreher returned calls Thursday.Monroe, takes the helm at a time when public confidence in CMPD has waned, despite a violent crime rate that's declined in the last decade. Property crime rates, though, have risen in four of the past five years under retiring Chief Darrel Stephens.Last month, the department released figures showing the number of property and violent crimes was higher in the first three months of this year than in 2007. Several brazen crimes recently in historically low-crime neighborhoods have prompted residents to demand solutions.Charlotte officials lauded Walton's choice."I think he'll bring a new vision and strategy ... especially on gang issues," said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. "He'll be an excellent communicator and convey a get-tough attitude."Monroe will begin his new job by June 16 and make $185,000 per year -- $20,000 more than he made in Richmond. Stephens makes $163,909.Several Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers said Thursday they were pleased with Monroe's hiring. The choice also allays a longstanding complaint among some CMPD officers, that the department lacks diversity and has few high-ranking minorities.Monroe becomes Charlotte's first African American police chief."I think he will see things totally differently because of the experience he's had ...," said Norris Anderson, a retired CMPD major. "Very simply, he will not come in and be a black police chief. He will be a police chief who happens to be black."Charlotte has gained a national reputation for its community-based policing, a strategy that emphasizes building relationships with residents to help prevent and fight crime. Chief Stephens champions the method but critics charge that his officers haven't been aggressive enough.Monroe, during a Charlotte public forum Tuesday, said he also emphasizes community policing: "I'm a firm believer that everything gets done in the neighborhoods." But he said he believes in strong, visible responses to crime.After the forum, community leaders and residents praised Monroe for his candor and personable style.Monroe came up through the Washington, D.C., police force in the 1980s and '90s, a time when the city struggled with record violent crime. Homicides there peaked at 472 in 1990.He commanded one of D.C.'s most violent districts.In a letter to the Observer last week, former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chief Dennis Nowicki urged the city to look at the history of the Washington force during the years Monroe served in leadership roles. While the Charlotte force "enjoys an outstanding reputation...," the letter said the Washington force "doesn't come close."Nowicki declined to elaborate when contacted by the Observer.In Richmond, officials and police officers were sorry to see Monroe leave."Several police officers were upset when they learned Monroe would be leaving," said Richmond council member Reva Trammell. "I told them we've got to let him go and be happy for him."
Charlotte.com – 20 hours, 41 minutes ago ¦ comment?
DNA Testing Shows 'Lizard Man' Attack May Have Been By Dog
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CMPD offers free catalytic converter engraving 10:25 AM
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Classmates Send Bible To Teen Accused Of School Bomb Plot
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Father Recalls Sons Shouting 'Daddy' During Fire
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More Senior Citizens Hauling Drugs
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South Carolina's Unemployment Rate Up Slightly In AprilSouth Carolina's jobless rate edged up to 5.9 percent in April, and state officials predict rising gas prices could mean for a rocky summer employment picture.
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Newspaper: Duke Cutting Off Service More Often This Year
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