Overview
- Reps. Mark Harris, Pat Harrigan and Chuck Edwards sent a letter asking Gov. Josh Stein to authorize a temporary National Guard deployment requested by the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police.
- The lawmakers cite eight homicides in seven days, a reported 200% year‑over‑year uptown homicide increase, and union figures showing rises in aggravated assaults and personal robberies.
- A Stein spokesperson told NOTUS that locally trained officers are best equipped to keep communities safe and noted the governor’s $195 million proposal to boost law‑enforcement pay and recruitment; no deployment has been ordered.
- Charlotte police statistics show a mixed picture, with overall crime and violent offenses down in the third quarter compared with 2024, while categories such as violent crime, commercial burglaries and vehicle larcenies rose from last year.
- Backers point to President Trump’s Guard deployments in cities including Washington and Memphis as models, as legal challenges and political disagreements continue over using troops for local crime.