2025 JAG Program Budget Law Enforcement Improvements

Published on April 24, 2026

City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County 2025 JAG Program Budget
Law Enforcement Improvements

Total Eligible FY 2025 allocation: $618,968.00

Each year, the City of Charlotte receives funds from the Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal FY 2025 JAG funding for the City of Charlotte, determined by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, will be $618,968. There is a requirement that grant funding only be used for law enforcement purposes. The legislation making the grant possible requires the city to share a portion of the funding with Mecklenburg County, given that the County is responsible for incarcerating offenders. As such, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) will allocate $123,800 of the FY 2025 funding to the Mecklenburg County Sherriff’s Office (MCSO). The CMPD’s share of the funding will total $495,168.

The CMPD applied for these JAG Program funds on April 24, 2026. Citizens can comment regarding the proposed FY 2025 JAG budget. Comments may be submitted to Research &Strategic Planning Manager, Morgan Parks either by email at Morgan.Parks@cmpd.org or by letter addressed to Morgan Parks, Manager, Research & Strategic Planning Division, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, 700 West 5^th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.

The CMPD’s budget ($495,168) for JAG funding consists of the following four (4) components:

Police Cadet Program $212,218.00

The Cadet Program will provide 10 qualified students, actively enrolled in a local college, an opportunity to work in a professional, law enforcement environment, while learning about and training for future employment as a Police Officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The program's intent is to enhance the participating student's knowledge of the CMPD and all operating aspects so that when the participant turns 21, he or she may enter a career as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer. As Police Cadets work in different areas of the department, they will develop the necessary skills to make them the type of officer CMPD needs to be successful in its mission to prevent the next crime.

Police Cadets are assigned to various units within the CMPD, based on unit need. Students entering the program as freshmen may be assigned to tasks that may not require as much in-depth knowledge of the department's function as a more experienced student in the program.

Among other duties, Cadets:

Will receive extensive training in the use of department databases and reporting systems, Police Communications, Ethics, and Smith System Safe Driving techniques, among other training
Will be evaluated, according to attendance, grades, uniform, appearance, completion of work assignments, among other areas of work-based performance
Will maintain eligibility for full-time employment as a CMPD Employee

Summer Internship Program $201,263.00

The CMPD’s 8-week Summer Internship Program introduces students who desire to become law enforcement officers with the CMPD opportunities to work in a CMPD Investigative, Support Services, and /or Field Service Group for the duration of their internship.

Students participating in the CMPD’s Summer Internship Program must be enrolled at a college or university as an undergraduate or graduate student. Interns are expected to complete a written assignment and oral presentation detailing specific assignments/duties that they were tasked with during the internship, including lessons learned, and indicate if their experience has inspired them to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Crime Laboratory Overtime $18,065.00

Funds will be used for the analysis of forensic evidence in criminal cases designated as “priority” by the CMPD and to reduce periodic backlogs in evidence analysis. The funds will be used by the CMPD’s Crime Laboratory Division including DNA, Fingerprints, and Firearms. These include cases where police need to identify a suspect, establish links between cases or rapidly clear a high-profile case or series of cases which are creating fear in the community. The funds will also be used to reduce periodic backlogs in evidence analysis. The use of the overtime funding will be determined based upon the CMPD’s needs during the grant period.

Patrol Overtime $63,622.00

Patrol overtime funds are crucial to the success of the City of Charlotte’s crime reduction strategy. These funds will provide overtime for enforcement and problem-solving initiatives allowing patrol officers to address crime problems at the neighborhood level, including responding to emerging crime trends, identifying, and targeting suspects, chronic crime trends, and working with partners to address the enablers of crime. The funds will also be used to address drug and/or gang issues at the neighborhood level.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff Office’s (MCSO) budget for $123,800 in JAG funding consists of the following single (1) component:

Arrest Processing Center Body Scanner Replacement $2,539.00

With recent changes to the legislature and signing of House Bill (HB) 307 into law, the MCSO’s Arrest Processing Center (APC) is observing an increase in the number of arrestees that are being processed daily and subsequently booked into the Detention Center. With the increase in the number of arrestees entering the APC and the subsequent bookings into the Detention Center, there are concerns of influx of contraband items entering the facility. The implementation of a new body scanner, with the available upgraded artificial intelligence software, would assist deputies with locating and confiscating controlled substances, and other prohibited items. An upgraded body scanner is a long-term investment that would result in a safer environment for staff, arrestees, and residents in the APC and Detention Center.