Crime in Raleigh | Rise in Brier Creek crisis triggers citizen forum with police and city leaders in Raleigh

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) – On Monday, dozens of Brier Creek residents and business owners met for an open forum with Raleigh police to discuss crime trends in the area and ways to combat them. Key topics included an increase in car thefts and burglaries, as well as a rise in juvenile crime not only in Brier Creek, but throughout the city.

“We really depend on you. On your eyes, your ears, on what you see,” said Lt. Terrence Knuckles of the RPD’s Criminal Investigation Division.

The forum was attended by officers from Durham Police Department and other neighboring areas, as well as several Raleigh City Council members. The RPD stated that the majority of crimes faced by Brier Creek residents continue to be auto thefts and burglaries – a problem that the RPD is committed to devoting more resources to.

“At 2, 3 or 4 a.m., when the rest of us are still asleep in our beds, there are people out there breaking into cars. We’re going to try to send officers to the hot spots that we know are occurring at those times,” said Lt. John Smith, an officer in the RPD’s Northwest District, which includes Brier Creek.

Juvenile delinquency was also an important issue for residents and police. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson specifically cited “Raise the Age” – the 2019 decision to raise the age for juvenile criminal offenses from 16 to 18 – as a factor in the increase in juvenile delinquency.

“We are currently seeing 16- and 17-year-olds stealing cars and breaking into cars – repeatedly – and we are finding that the juvenile justice system is not prepared to deal with that,” Patterson told those in attendance.

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The conversation came just days after North Carolina lawmakers overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of HB 834 – a new juvenile justice bill that would try 16- and 17-year-old suspects for the most serious crimes as adults. Patterson told ABC11 after Monday’s meeting that she had not spoken to the governor or lawmakers about HB 834, but that juvenile justice remains a major issue.

“We face some challenges with ‘raising the age.’ But I think the most important thing is to find out who these suspects are, who these offenders are, and make sure they go through the criminal justice system,” she said.

On Monday, several residents expressed concern about a lack of accountability toward youth and the lack of resources available to the RPD to combat the problem. The RPD said it is still about 67 officers short of its full quota and that it continues to work to fill vacancies.

City leaders, such as City Councilwoman Christina Jones, urged residents to continue attending meetings and voice their opinions on issues such as pay raises for public officials.

“I believe public safety should be our top priority as a council, but I need you there, just as you show up here, so that can be included in our discussions,” Jones said.