The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department reviewed a number of redistricting proposals with both 12 and 13 division configurations.

After reviewing all of the proposed plans, CMPD concluded that a 13 division configuration would offer the community the most effective delivery of police services. The plan simply divides the CMPD jurisdiction differently while using existing personnel resources to handle the same total workload. The 13 division plan factors in the hiring of 58 additional police officers approved in the FY07 budget.

The advantages to the proposed 13 division plan are:

• A smaller Central Division which can concentrate on the unique issues associated with policing the Center City and South End.
• Reunites the Beatties Ford Road corridor communities into one division.
• Puts the Mount Holly/Huntersville area along Highway 16 in one division.
• Balances the workload among the 13 divisions with the range between the highest and lowest workload volume reduced to 9.6% to 5.7%.
• Creates the 13th division in the University area to unite this area and its surrounding communities into one patrol district.
• Balances staffing of the number of officers assigned to the patrol divisions from 97 to 73 officers.
• Prepares the department for future growth, especially in its ability to respond to outlying areas in its jurisdiction.

The one disadvantage to all of the proposed plans was an inability to balance staffing and workload without continuing to divide the South Boulevard corridor between two patrol divisions. However, both divisions covering South Boulevard, Westover and Steele Creek, are in the same command structure.