Raleigh, North Carolina — Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson met with the Glenwood South Business Alliance to discuss crime statistics for the final quarter of 2023.
Approximately 50 people attended the meeting, including Chief Patterson.
According to the Raleigh Police Department, 61 illegal firearms were seized in the area in the last few months of 2023.
Police said this was a 177% increase from the 22 firearms seized in the fourth quarter of 2022. Police said felony drug violations in the area increased by 217% in 2023 compared to the last quarter of 2022, and misdemeanor drug violations increased by more than 400% compared to the same quarter. Until the last quarter of 2022.
Patterson believes increased patrols at Glenwood South contributed to the spike in statistics.
“I think we’re doing a great job here at Glenwood South,” she said.
The city and businesses are also taking steps to prevent crime in Glenwood South. The city is installing more cameras in Glenwood South and downtown, and businesses are also starting to bring in private security.
Patterson said some of the biggest improvements have come from management sharing information with RPD.
“What they tell us is traffic patterns,” she said, adding that residents and businesses call police when people are making an area less safe.
Tony Basford, owner of Plus Dueling Piano Bar, said he and other businesses are already seeing improvements.
[I’m] “I’m very proud of our police officers and proud of what they’re doing,” he said.
Patterson said guns getting into places they shouldn't be remains a concern, but offered the following solutions to curb the problem.
- Expansion of hospitality unit
- Business owners continue to rely on private security they can trust
- Installation of metal detectors at entrances and use of wanding
- More safety cameras
Basford said he remains hopeful that Glenwood South can reach a point where additional police presence is no longer needed.
“We can remove some executives. We have set an example, so it doesn't have to be the way it is, but we expect the same result,” he said.
