As he heads into his final months of office, NC Governor Roy Cooper rolled out a “Community Violence Prevention Program” this week.
“Every North Carolinian deserves to feel safe in their homes, schools, and communities,” Cooper said in a press release. “This plan is a roadmap to advancing a public health approach to violence prevention by supporting law enforcement, local communities, grassroots organizations and public health professionals to create safer and healthier communities.”
According to Cooper’s press statement, this program is a “three-year plan” that will “serve as a roadmap to foster collaboration among various partners, leverage a public health approach to violence prevention and support local, evidence-based programs.”
This program has three focus areas, none of which involve fighting actual crime or bolstering law enforcement.
1. Enhance Collaboration and Coordination
The Office of Violence Prevention will focus on breaking down silos between law enforcement and public health officials and increasing collective impact across the state through interagency data alignment and increased partnership and coordination between local, state and federal agencies.
2. Strengthen the Community Violence Prevention Workforce
The Office of Violence Prevention aims to ensure that violence prevention professionals have the tools, support and resources necessary for success. The office will focus on establishing core competencies, enhancing reach and clearly demonstrating the benefits of prevention and intervention strategies.
3. Prepare and Empower Local Communities
The Office of Violence Prevention is committed to equipping communities with the infrastructure, knowledge and resources to act on violence prevention strategies. This includes training on evidence-based models and the application of a public health approach, as well as access to the tools needed to implement local solutions.
The Plan document’s introduction has a lot of platitudes and mental health lip service. The body of the document is much the same.
It’s unclear if this program was rolled out as a launchpad, so to speak, for incoming Governor-elect Josh Stein.
Perhaps ironically, the very next day after he announced this program, Cooper also issued a series of prison sentence commutations and pardons.
More To The Story
Cooper's plan comes at a time where North Carolina crime has been on the rise, in particular, juvenile crime.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI) dropped its 2023 crime stats last month and the numbers are on the rise in several areas.
The index crime rate per 100,000 people increased 2.3% in 2023 over 2022. Violent crime dropped just .01% while property crimes rose 2.8%.
Motor vehicle theft (MVT) increased by a staggering 38.3%.
The percentage changes from 2014 to 2023 in Table 9 of the NC SBI report show a total index crime decrease of -19.2% but a total violent crime increase of +27.2%.
The percentage changes for Violent Crime categories all rose by double digits for the same time frame comparison; Murder up +57.3%, Rape +64.6%, and Aggravated Assault+47.9%.
Juvenile arrests for murder and attempted murder in 2024 continue to stack up.
As of this morning, I’ve counted at least 42 juveniles who have been charged with murder, attempted murder or involuntary manslaughter. That tally represents media reports and tips I have received between January and November of this year.
Breaking the 42 number down, that’s 36 juveniles charged with murder, 4 with attempted murder, and two with involuntary manslaughter as of today.
Just in the past week, a 16-year-old had a petition filed against them for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 22-year-old at a street racing meetup in Durham County. Additionally, an 18-year-old was charged with 2 counts of attempted murder in Perquimans County after shots fired and high speed chase.
When it comes to juvenile crime, the NC SBI’s data is lagging behind reality.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Mid–Year Crime Report was issued this past July. The report showed 2023 juvenile crime had risen to its highest levels in “at least the five years.”
The report also says juvenile crime rates have continued to rise in 2024 and that 61% of the city’s juvenile arrests were repeat offenders.
Juvenile Suspects identified in Property Crimes increased 19% (902 in 2024 vs 760 YTD in 2023)
Juvenile Suspects identified in Violent Crimes increased 7% (220 in 2024 vs 206 in 2023)
Overall Juvenile Arrests increased 12% (1,684 in 2024 vs 1,510 in 2023)
Violent crime is way up in Charlotte, per the report.
Homicides increased 36% (61 YTD in 2024 to 45 YTD in 2023)
Aggravated Assaults increased 9% (2,844 YTD in 2024 to 2,620 YTD in 2023)
Assault with a Deadly Weapon Involving a Firearm increased 8% (2,193 YTD in 2024 to 2,034 YTD in 2023)
Just a reminder:
Cooper vetoed legislation addressing this spike in serious juvenile crime and the General Assembly overrode that veto.
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