Charlotte Police Launch Door-Knock Squads to Fight Teen Crime

CMPD's JADE and JPOST teams make home visits, seize firearms, and aim to lower juvenile recidivism

Mar. 28, 2026 at 3:33pm

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Two specialized Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department units, JADE and JPOST, are taking a more personal approach to juvenile crime by making home visits, steering families toward services, and recovering firearms from city streets. Launched in 2024, the teams blend enforcement and outreach to interrupt teens' first steps into more serious offenses and keep them from getting locked into the justice system.

Why it matters

Charlotte has seen spikes in juvenile-involved auto thefts and shootings, prompting the department and community leaders to call for a multi-pronged approach that combines policing initiatives with sustained investments in schools, mental health care, and housing supports to address the root causes of youth crime.

The details

The JADE and JPOST teams have made nearly 100 home visits this year, recovered 67 firearms, and seen just one of 18 juveniles re-offend after contact. JADE focuses more on diversion, mentoring, and family outreach, while JPOST targets high-risk teens with enforcement. The two teams coordinate cases to move between outreach and investigation as needed. Early results include firearm recoveries, arrests, and face-to-face conversations, but officials caution that the problem reaches beyond what enforcement alone can fix.

  • JADE and JPOST teams were launched in 2024 as part of a broader CMPD strategy.
  • In the first quarter of 2024, JADE logged early arrests, home visits, and firearm recoveries.
  • In 2024, JADE made over 150 home visits and helped seize dozens of guns.
  • CMPD is expected to publish updated quarterly crime statistics soon.

The players

Lt. Jeff Zederbaum

A lieutenant who oversees the JADE and JPOST teams, describing their work as a mix of enforcement and outreach.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

The police department that launched the JADE and JPOST teams in 2024 as part of a broader strategy to address juvenile crime.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee

The takeaway

This initiative highlights Charlotte's efforts to address juvenile crime through a combination of enforcement and community-based outreach, recognizing that the problem requires a multi-faceted approach beyond just policing. The success of the JADE and JPOST teams will be closely watched to see if the model can be sustained and expanded to create lasting impacts.