Public Safety
Public safety is the systems, policies, and practices designed to protect communities from danger or harm. It includes a range of organizations that work together to prevent emergencies, respond when they occur, and offer support afterwards.
What would you like to learn?
What is public safety?
Public safety is the systems, policies, and practices designed to protect communities from danger or harm. It includes a range of organizations that work together to prevent emergencies, respond when they occur, and offer support afterwards.
Those groups often include city, county, and federal institutions such as police, fire, and emergency medical services. They focus on crime prevention, investigation, fire management, rescues, urgent healthcare and transport, and response to disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and public health crises.
Modern public safety anticipates and reduces the likelihood of emergencies. It includes violence protection programs, mental health crisis response, road and structural safety compliance, and public health systems.
Public safety across the United States is improving – especially in terms of declining incidents of violent crime – but the lived experience for many of us might not reflect that trend. Equity is critical, ensuring all of us receive fair and effective protection, regardless of geography, income, or race.
Collaboration between city and county governments, nonprofits, and the community is key.
Key Facts
Scroll down for key facts on public safety
21%
decrease in violent crime in Charlotte from 2024 to 2025, including a substantial decline in homicides
11%
decrease in Charlotte in incidents involving juveniles as suspects from 2024 to 2025
8m 37s
average Mecklenburg EMS response time to life-threatening calls in 2025
45
Charlotte Fire Department firehouses
50-80%
of call volume for the majority of 9-1-1 call centers nationally are non-emergency calls
2x
likelihood of Americans to be victims of a crime in the 1990s compared to today
What is happening now?
Public safety in Charlotte reflects the challenges of a thriving, rapidly growing city.
The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County set priorities for funding and are working with residents and community leaders to implement public safety policy improvements.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and the City of Charlotte have leaned into rebuilding trust gaps around community policing and public safety. This includes strategies such as working with neighborhoods to train citizens to help mediate conflicts, strengthening city ordinances, investing in youth and the unhoused, and supporting violence intervention programming.
These strategies helped reduce crime by 9% in 2025, and a restructuring of CMPD’s Crime Reduction Units (CRUs) in July of 2025 has played a role in addressing violent crime.
Grassroots efforts have also made a significant difference in making our communities safer. The Alternatives to Violence program is staffed by neighborhood residents who are trained and hired to lead ground-level violence reduction work.
In addition to crime reduction, public safety also includes services like the Charlotte Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that help keep our community members safe in emergency situations.
Donate or volunteer now
To donate and volunteer with nonprofits working in Public Safety, visit SHARE Charlotte’s directory for Safety, First Responders, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Disaster Relief.
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Starting points
These six organizations are good starting points for someone new to this topic to learn more.
Charlotte is home to a growing network of people and organizations who believe in building a stronger, more connected community for all.
Explore more resources below.
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An evidence-based violence reduction program in the Beatties Ford Road Corridor that aims to reduce violence by 70% over the next four years.
Nonprofit helps individuals with criminal records transition back into their communities.
Envisions and activates strategies and actions to assure Charlotte Center City is a welcoming and equitable, economically vibrant, culturally rich, and beloved place for all.
Delivers fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMS), technical rescue, and fire investigation programs.
Integrates activities required to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from large-scale crises.
Works to enhance public safety as the primary law enforcement agency for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Aggregator of resources, including public health, police, fire, and emergency medical services.
Identifies, invites in and launches evidence-based organizations, providing support so they quickly become embedded in the community and deliver measurable change.
Provides resources and information for residents, including Health and Human Services.
Promotes collaboration between the city, county, and state criminal justice agencies, in addition to community based and non-profit organizations.
Prosecutes all criminal cases filed in District and Superior Courts, represents the State in Juvenile proceedings, prepares the criminal trial docket, and advises local law enforcement.
Aims to reduce violence in Mecklenburg County by collaborating with County, City, partners, and community to increase opportunity and build healthier, more resilient communities.
Focuses on custody, courts, and civil enforcement rather than street patrol.
Provides emergency response, non-emergency transports, special event coverage, and tactical paramedic SWAT support.
Coordinates the investigation, treatment and prosecution of child abuse cases as the only children’s advocacy center in Mecklenburg County.
Grant-funded program meant to support efforts to curb community violence through evidence-based trauma-informed practices.
Nonprofit serves individuals impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
Public safety policy improvements developed and implemented by the City of Charlotte through conversations with residents and community leaders.
Scheduled to open in 2026, the center will support survivors of violence and abuse in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Addresses violence as a public health issue, using a multidisciplinary approach to create lasting change.
A multi-service, non-profit agency with a mission to empower the community to reach financial stability and social justice.
Provides community-based services as alternatives to youth incarceration, residential placements and neighborhood violence.
Tools and Resources
Everything you need in one place. Browse articles, reports, and tools that support your journey.
Lingo to Know
Every topic has its own vocabulary. Learn a few key words here so you can explore with confidence.
Community policing
A strategy that builds partnerships between law enforcement and residents to jointly improve public safety.
Crisis intervention
Strategies to respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises, substance use issues, or distress.
Emergency management
Preparing for, responding to, recovering from, and addressing emergencies and large-scale crises.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
A system that responds to emergencies and provides urgent pre-hospital medical care.
First responders
Police, fire, and other professionals who are first on the scene during emergencies.
Public safety infrastructure
Systems and facilities, such as 9-1-1 call centers and fire stations, that support safety and keep things running.
Download the Public Safety folio
Special thanks to cover artist, Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr.!
Connecting the Dots
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We didn’t build this alone – and we’re not done yet. This site grows with input from real people across Charlotte. Got feedback? A topic we missed? A story to share? Click the Builder Button below.
