CMPD Celebrates 30-Years of Combined Excellence
Published on September 26, 2023
Charlotte, N.C. – (Tuesday, September 26, 2023) – Today, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) celebrated 30-years of combined service and excellence at the opening ceremony of the CMPD Expo & Historical Museum at One Independence Center.
On October 1, 1993, the Charlotte Police Department and the Mecklenburg County Police Department merged to become what is now the CMPD. The opening of the Expo marks a week-long celebration of 30 years of dedicated service. Today Chief Johnny Jennings spoke about the impact of the merger.
“The result of the consolidation was a more robust police department with increased resources to serve all areas of our community. All of the staff for the past 30 years has impacted the department that we are today. The vision of the former chiefs has helped lead the CMPD into a new era of advanced technology, increased community outreach and pushing the boundaries of service through innovation,” said Chief Jennings.
Current Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and former Mayor Richard Vinroot also gave remarks and were joined in attendance by Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson, Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Chairman George Dunlap, as well as several other county commissioners and Charlotte city councilmembers.
CMPD’s Expo & Historical Museum will officially open to the public on Wednesday, September 28, and Thursday September 29, 2023, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Expo will be open all week for CMPD employees. In addition, all CMPD employees are receiving commemorative pins and coins with 30-year anniversary designs. Special badges are being issued to sworn employees to be worn for the month of October only.
The expo will feature more than 160 years of memorabilia and artifacts of policing in the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, spanning from the 1860’s to present day. Attendees will see the advancement of our communication technology, changes in transportation for our officers and the progression of equipment and uniforms. CMPD’s specialized units are also showcased in displays highlighting our Aviation Unit, Communications Division, Crime Scene Search Unit, Crime Lab Unit, Lake Enforcement Unit, SWAT Team and many others.
The CMPD has more events planned throughout the week including:
- Monday, September 25: Employee Appreciation Lunch
- Thursday, September 28: Alumni Reunion and tour of Historical Museum for retired CMPD employees
- Friday, September 29 - Sunday, October 1: “College to Cop” Program, hosting students from Clemson University for a learning session
- Saturday, September 30: CMPD Family Day celebration
This week, CMPD’s Public Affairs Office is releasing a four-part documentary series detailing the merger with commentary from Chief Jennings as well as former Chiefs. The series can be viewed on CMPD’s YouTube page with episode one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxC2VAwADUQ&t=256s
Today’s full ceremony can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8YNS-ju9k4.
Photos from the Expo opening are attached. CMPD Public Affairs will be posting highlights from all of this week’s events on our social media accounts.
CMPD appreciates the support from its sponsors who include the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation, Keffer Auto Group, Lowe’s, CPI Security, Coca-Cola, QuikTrip, the Charlotte Knights, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Crescent Communities, JLL, LendingTree, SymbolArts, Axon and KS Image Solutions.
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