August 7, 2008 

In an effort to be as transparent as possible, the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has produced an annual report since 2003. The report explains how we handle complaints, and the processes we follow when an employee uses force, is involved in a motor vehicle accident or is accused of misconduct. The 2007 report compares our employees' activities to previous years and includes analysis of any changes. 

Significant findings include:

• Fewer complaints were filed against employees in 2007 than in 2006. Complaints alleging that officers were discourteous were down nearly 20 percent.
• Police officers used force in dealing with suspects more often in 2007 than in 2006. Use of Force incidents occurred most often in violent crime hot spots.
• Police pursuits increased significantly for the second straight year. In 2007, a higher percentage of pursuits were conducted without policy violations. Officers initiated a majority of pursuits in an attempt to apprehend robbery suspects. 
• More employees were injured compared to the previous year; the injuries occurred most often during training and during encounters with suspects.

The entire 2007 Internal Affairs Report can also be found at www.cmpd.org under Internal Affairs Bureau.