CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Charlotte has its first new police chief in five years after Deputy Chief Johnny Jennings was sworn in as the new Chief of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
Jennings replaced Kerr Putney, who retired July 1. Putney's retirement was moved up after the Republican National Convention was moved from Charlotte to Jacksonville, Florida last month. Jennings, who joined CMPD in 1992, will face some of the same problems Putney dealt with during his tenure.
Police departments across the country are in the spotlight after weeks of protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police. CMPD is among those departments, as a lawsuit was filed by the NAACP against the department for tactics used against peaceful protesters in uptown on June 2.
Jennings said Wednesday his department will focus on four main areas: professional accountability, community collaboration, crime management and employee wellness.
“It is important that as a police department we adopt a customer service mentality and instill that mentality throughout the department,” Jennings said. “The community provides the CMPD with the authority to police. We are never going to move the needle and build community relations until we recognize how the community wants to be policed. That will require all of us, every single one of us coming together to make this community safer and the CMPD a better department.”
Jennings also faces an increase in violent and property crimes in Charlotte. Homicides are also up from last year, with 54 in 2020 compared to 52 at this time last year, according to CMPD. While some departments have seen a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic, homicides continue to happen at an alarming rate in the Queen City, including the recent shootings on Beatties Ford Road.
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Jennings knows the challenges CMPD is facing and said he wants to work with the community he serves in order to bridge the gap with trust.
"It's our challenge that we come together and we set a good example for the entire community that whether you disagree or not, you can work together for a common goal," Jennings told WCNC Charlotte.