The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department hopes a new initiative aimed at increasing officer visibility will increase the public's perception of safety and decrease crime rates.

The department recently rolled out its 'Heartbeat' initiative across all 13 of its districts in Charlotte. Through the initiative, all officers in marked units will run steady blue lights on their vehicles during the entirety of their shifts.

Increasing Public Safety for Officers and the Public

The department's central division ran a Heartbeat initiative from 2022-2023, which had the goal of both increasing officer visibility and lowering the crime rate in the area. 

As part of the initiative, officers in that division used the same 24/7 steady light approach.

Lt. Kevin Pietrus said that during that time frame, the crime rate in the area decreased. 

While the initiative during that time included more than just the steady light approach — meaning the lowered crime rate can't solely be attributed to the constant police vehicle lighting — he does believe the increased visibility from the blue lights contributed to the lowered rate.

"Police visibility deters crime, and it helps people feel safe because it lets them know that police officers are there," Pietrus said.

In addition to increasing the public perception of safety, Pietrus said the initiative is also geared toward increasing officer safety by enhancing their visibility.

The lights will be used on all marked police vehicles - even while driving - during the entirety of officers' shifts, except in cases where a more covert response is required.

The department released the video below to Facebook to educate the public on when to know whether officers are responding to an emergency or just out on patrol.