Johnson & Wales enjoys the benefit of a convenient and dynamic Uptown location. Our students, faculty and staff find the environment to be safe and enjoyable. Of course, no campus is incident free and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department works diligently with us to resolve all safety issues. CMPD's professional and dedicated staff continue to be one of the best assets of life in the Center City.

We live in a great city!

We get to live & play with our family and friends and pursue our careers in a walk-able urban village. We can dine at restaurants – fine or casual and every level in between, enrich our minds and senses at museums, theatre and musical venues, all within a short stroll from our homes. Our homes appreciate in value as newcomers from within and without the city clamor to have their share of this lifestyle that we know.

And we can do all of this in a setting that is presently clean and safe. But the police can only do so much to keep it that way; it is up to us as the vested landowners to safeguard what we have been creating. And that is why we need to have a Neighborhood Watch program - so we can communicate among each other about current issues, look for suspicious behavior before it develops into a dangerous problem, to help us to help ourselves.

I have lived and played in Uptown Charlotte for years and I have never felt uncomfortable living here. We consistently have some of the best crime statistics in the entire city. Having said that we can still do better and a Neighborhood Watch will definitely help to reduce crime. Simply put a Neighborhood Watch is neighbors looking out for neighbors and calling the police when something does not seem right. Thanks to several alert neighbors, who called the police, we were able to catch two criminals in the act of a break-in in First Ward. The program works!

Charlotte's Center City is tied as the safest district in the city. Our crime numbers are low and are stable. We have dedicated officers who know the district and the people who live and work here.

It is easiest to police when the area is dense and condensed, as our uptown is. This is home to 12,000 diverse residents, our primary workforce of more than 65,000 people, more than 500,000 convention visitors a year and the core of our culture and entertainment district. Our Uptown police force is diverse as well, with a strong contingent of foot and bike officers who know the trouble spots before they erupt. This CMPD force is augmented by a strong force of private security, employed by the banks, Duke Energy and the property management companies. There's a web of security cameras creating a consistent "eye in the sky" thought the central business district that's connected to the CMPD Command Center.

Our Entertainment District Unit is a unique police unit of 10 officers and a sergeant...most on foot and bikes...who are assigned inside that entertainment district. Thanks to this relatively new unit, our entertainment district is one of the safest places to be on any given night.

Our crime statistics are low, although we still fight car thefts and car larcenies...that's mainly because we have so many cars. Our police work hard at prevention and are proactive with neighborhood watch programs in our uptown neighborhoods and businesses. In short, Uptown is a safe place to be...it feels safe and it is safe.

Visitors and convention goers consistently note the safety of the Center City as a key attribute of Charlotte. The CRVA works hard to let our guests know that the Center City is the safest part of Charlotte as this fact sets us apart from many of our competitors for conventions and meetings.

First and foremost, uptown residents and businesses are a community. We take care of each other and take responsibility for maintaining a place that is conducive to good business and a great quality of life. Neighborhood Watch is a critical part of making the Center city a success for everyone.