Charlotte-Mecklenburg SWAT has successfully de-escalated four separate barricade situations with armed individuals this month.
Officers were not hurt and did not fire a single shot during any of the standoffs, WSOC reports.
CMPD had mental health resources on hand during all the armed barricade situations this month, Maj. Dave Johnson told the Charlotte Observer.
To help expand the department’s mental health resources, the City Council’s $2.7 million budget — approved Monday night — includes $739,000 to expand CMPD’s Community Policing Crisis Response Team, which handles mental health emergencies.
“They are an invaluable resource and honestly they’re underutilized and underfunded,” Johnson said. “We’re glad to hear that they’re going to receive some increased funding.”
“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department wants to commend its officers for the bravery and overwhelming dedication they put into their daily service to the Charlotte community,” the department said in a news release. “Our officers respond to daily reports of disturbances, assaults, robberies and many other call-types involving weapons, and routinely encounter the resistance of armed suspects. Officers enter each of these situations with a skillset evolved from specialized training, equipment and teamwork to ensure the safety of all parties involved. Their success is in their diligence and utmost regard for human life.”
