4 days ago
Crime tends to rise in the summer. How Raleigh police plan to address it
Raleigh residents can expect to see more of a police presence in certain parts of the city this summer.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce unveiled his plan Tuesday to confront crime and increase enforcement throughout the summer months focused on nightlife areas, major city corridors and other areas.
'Our key objectives are obviously eliminating violent crime, removing dangerous illegal firearms and holding repeat offenders accountable for any actions, any criminal actions that they commit here in our capital city,' he told the Raleigh City Council on his 101st day in the role.
The plan came after Boyce spoke with other police chiefs about how to address crime throughout the summer months. A plan is needed, he said, because the city usually sees more visitors during the summer months and there's an increase in juvenile crime with schools out.
Boyce also highlighted crime statistics so far this year, compared to the same time period last year.
There have been 15 homicides in the first six months of the year, a statistic that has remained stagnant, he said. Robberies have increased while aggravated assaults with a firearm have decreased.
Police officers will target particular areas through the end of August based on crime data.
'This is not a gotcha moment that we're trying to surprise anybody,' Boyce said. 'These are going to be our focus areas during the summer.'
He said areas were selected based on past data and because more people tend to go to night clubs during the summer.
Focus areas include:
Nightclub and event spaces
Transportation hubs
Public parks and greenways
Hospitality and nightlife corridors.
Emphasis will be placed on hospitality districts, including Glenwood South and Fayetteville Street, the transit hub downtown and Moore Square because it's 'where we are seeing a lot of gun recoveries here in the city,' Boyce said.
There will also be increased traffic enforcement on Capital Boulevard, Saunders Street, Glenwood Avenue and New Bern Avenue.
'I want that to be very clear that we use intelligent-led policing to place our resources throughout the city,' Boyce said. 'I don't want anybody to say that we're overpolicing anywhere. We are going where we're seeing the crime occurring and trying to deter crime from continuing to occur.'
School resource officers will be reassigned in the summer months to patrol parks and greenways.
The police department is also continuing its 'cops on the block' campaign of bringing officers to meet with residents in neighborhoods, and adding to its summer camp offerings to provide opportunities for youth to help keep them out of trouble, Boyce said.
The Raleigh Police Department began releasing crime statistics on a quarterly basis.
The most recent report is for crime from Jan. 1 to June 9.
Homicides have remained stagnant. Fourteen out of 15 homicides have been cleared and the parties knew each other. The homicides were 'not random violence,' Boyce said.
Robberies increased 19% from the same time last year.
Aggravated assaults are down 7%. Aggravated assaults with a firearm are down 14%.
Child abuse cases have decreased 31%.
Motor vehicle thefts have seen a decrease of 16%. There were 793 vehicles stole this year compared to 946 over the same time period in 2024. Officers have recovered 676 stolen vehicles this year.
The next report will be released in July.
