Articles about Public Safety

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Collaboration is more than a word: Highlights from the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission Conference
   October 12, 2022

Maris Bey

Under federal and North Carolina law, human trafficking is defined as using force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. And any minor involved in a commercial sex act is a victim of trafficking.

Trafficking is often confused with human smuggling, which consists of the movement of people across borders. The movement of an individual is not required for...

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Data show Charlotte remains dangerous for pedestrians
   July 19, 2022
Ely Portillo

Here’s another paradox from the COVID-19 pandemic: People drove less, but the streets got more deadly.

That’s especially true for pedestrians, a new report from Smart Growth America shows. “Dangerous by Design,” the group’s annual report highlighting pedestrian fatalities, shows that over 6,500 people were hit and killed while walking in 2020 – a 4.5% increase over 2019.

And...

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Using integrated data to center racial equity in local violence prevention work
   May 4, 2022
Sydney Idzikowski

Violence impacts all of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, but the toll doesn’t fall equally across members of our community. There are pronounced disparities along racial lines. A new, data-focused learning community will help local leaders across sectors find collaborative solutions to prevent and address violence in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. 

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Should Charlotte bring back traffic cameras?
   October 21, 2021
Ely Portillo

The city of Charlotte has a problem: Despite pledging to end traffic deaths by 2030, we’re on pace to see as many or even more people killed on the roads this year than last, and officials say speed is the single biggest contributing factor.

Could automated cameras to catch speeders and nab red light-runners be part of the...

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Are bus-only lanes a key part of Charlotte’s transit future?
   May 14, 2021
Ely Portillo

This story is part of the Transit Time newsletter, a partnership between the Urban Institute, the Charlotte Ledger and WFAE. Find out more and subscribe here

For six months, commuters and residents near Central Avenue in east Charlotte faced an unfamiliar sight: “BUS...

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Report: Charlotte’s streets are dangerous for pedestrians
   March 30, 2021
Ely Portillo

It’s increasingly dangerous for people to walk in the Charlotte area, according to a new, annual report – a trend that’s mirrored in almost every city nationwide.

Dangerous by Design,” published by Smart Growth America, uses federal data to rank metro areas by pedestrian fatalities. The Charlotte region ranked as the 34...

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The city wakes up to its future
   March 22, 2021

David Walters

Sometimes I feel as if I'm watching a play. It's one I've seen before - performed many times in different venues. It's called "The City Wakes Up To Its Future." We have now reached the penultimate act. I'm referring, of course, to the recent cyclone of activity that's swirling around Charlotte's proposed 2040 Comprehensive Plan - a document that...

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Moving to the suburbs: Three things I’ve learned that make me hopeful
   February 22, 2021
Ely Portillo

When the moving truck pulled up to the Dilworth duplex we’d been renting for years, I felt more than a twinge of regret to be leaving the urban amenities I’d come to love.

Living within a short walk of two supermarkets, plentiful coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and some of Charlotte’s best parks was a fantastic convenience. But after nearly a decade in Dilworth, three different...

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Housing First Process Evaluation: Many housed, but lessons to learn
   September 3, 2020
Lori Thomas
Joanne Carman

Housing First Charlotte-Mecklenburg (HFCM) was launched in 2015 to end chronic homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg by scaling housing first, particularly the housing first permanent supportive housing model.

Housing first programs prioritize housing as an early step in service delivery, have low-barrier admissions policies, maximize client choice in housing and services, use a harm...

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Residents wait to see if they can stay in fast-changing South End
   June 4, 2020
Mae Israel
Debbie Williams grew up in Charlotte’s Brookhill Village, a neighborhood of one-story duplex and triplex apartments built for black families in the 1950s. She has watched while its owners let the buildings deteriorate as luxury apartments began rising nearby.  Two decades ago, she moved away. But her mother and sister remained in the low-rent housing community, home to several generations of... Read more