Raleigh plans to hire private security to combat rising crime in downtown
Crime has gotten so bad in downtown Raleigh that the city plans to hire private security to help police patrol parts of the city.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin says two bids are out for private security to patrol Wilmington Street, Blount Street, Market Plaza and Exchange Plaza – not far from Fayetteville Street or Moore Square.
"This gives us the ability to cover the entire city [and] beef up coverage in hot spots where we need it," Baldwin said.
Downtown Raleigh Alliance President and CEO Bill King explained what the new firm will do.
"They add a sort of quickness to that response by being able to immediately see something," King said. "The other thing is the hope is it just deters [crime]."
On Wednesday, Raleigh city leaders did not say how much the new private security would cost.
The private security officers will not be armed or make arrests. The city hopes to have this plan in place by the end of the month.
Total reported crimes up 60% in these areas of downtown Raleigh
Business owners and residents say they are nervous about the increase of drug dealing, fighting in the streets and harassment in parts of downtown. Others say they've dealt with people running through businesses and harassing employees.
Metrics show an enormous spike in crime in the areas where private security would patrol.
There have been a total of 381 crimes reported in the past 8 months – an increase of 60% over the same span of time last year.
There have also been 140 drug violations and 82 assaults reported. There are also 21 reports of vandalism and 21 reports of disorderly conduct.
Violent crime in downtown Raleigh and Glenwood South
The crime has escalated into violence and even death.
Late Tuesday night, a man was stabbed near the GoRaleigh bus station just across from Moore Square.
Earlier in the week, Raleigh residents captured the sound of gunshots on their Ring doorbell camera.
Several weeks ago, the manager of Midwood Smokehouse died after being assaulted on Glenwood South.
Huge spike in drug crimes in downtown Raleigh
Reported drug crimes have also skyrocketed – from 6 reports last August to 44 reports this August, a huge increase in just one year.
- August 2023: 44
- July 2023: 19
- June 2023: 22
- May 2023: 13
- April 2023: 13
- March 2023: Six
- February 2023: Six
- January: 2023: 16
- August 2022: Six
- July 2022: 15
Green Monkey owner Rusty Patton recently moved his queer safe space from 1217 Hillsborough St. to 215 South Wilmington St. in Raleigh. The new location is feet away from the GoRaleigh bus station.
"There are a lot of drugs and drug deals made," Patton said.
It's a sentiment shared by Baldwin.
"I've witnessed with my own eyes a drug deal taking place," Baldwin said.
Baldwin shared other crimes she's seen.
"We have kids running through restaurants, stealing tip jars, harassing staff [and] assaulting each other," Baldwin said.
Patton is among the business owners elated that the city is being proactive in its approach.
"All the businesses on Wilmington Street, we want to – [for] lack of a better word here – take our street back because this has got ... Wilmington Street and downtown Raleigh has got so much potential," Patton said.
Fines for illegal parking help protect Glenwood South residents from crime
In June, the price of a parking ticket also increased in Glenwood South. Many people who live in and around Glenwood South are pleased about a $200 fine being a deterrent for illegal parking. Oftentimes, parking in neighborhoods brings crime spilling over from the bars and clubs at night. The city council decided to raise parking fines from the previous $30 fine.
A city of Raleigh spokesperson says the city is working in partnership with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance to improve security in downtown, which is now a major priority for the City Council.
Raleigh police still strained from vacancies
"I really am grateful to Raleigh police, who have stepped up patrols in Glenwood South and Downtown Raleigh," said District D City Council Member Jane Harrison. "I think it's important that we have some monthly reports, both on crime stat to track metrics so we can better understand and evaluate what we can do proactively."
Raleigh police are stretched thin, with more than 100 vacancies on the force as of June 2023. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson spoke to how the police force will also have a bigger presence downtown.
“We always invite any other force multipliers that we can have whether it is through video surveillance, whether it is extra security," Patterson said. "At RPD, we’re going to have more officers working our downtown area. We’re going to do saturation patrols in downtown along Fayetteville Street, Wilmington Street, Salisbury Street, we have seen the uptick in activity in our downtown area and so we want to make sure that we create a safe environment in every way that we can so you’ll see an increased presence of officers in our downtown area.”
Podcast: Deadly assault on Glenwood South business owner raises concerns about violence
Raleigh police arrested a man for murder days after a brutal assault in Glenwood South led to the death of Midwood Smokehouse's general manager: 27-year-old David Millette.
“His parents lost their only son, so I can't even begin to fathom the amount of pain that they're feeling," said his co-manager. Listen to the full story in our podcast below.
