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Raleigh officials outline downtown safety push; police report drops in violent and property crime
Summary
City staff and the Raleigh Police Department described a multi‑pronged approach to making downtown safer and more inviting ahead of festival season: bike and foot patrol expansions, a warrant service team, increased camera integration, new staffing at GoRaleigh, de‑escalation training and downtown amenity investments.
Assistant City Manager Michael Moore and Police Chief Rico Boyce briefed council on efforts to improve downtown safety, cleanliness and vibrancy ahead of Dreamville and the festival season.
Moore described collaborative measures with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA), including support for small-business openings, tree‑trunk lighting along Fayetteville Street, shade structures for City Plaza, and upgrades to plaza sound and lighting. He said DRA reported net openings and that city‑DRA coordination includes retail promotion and a two‑hour free parking pilot.
Chief Rico Boyce highlighted public‑safety tactics: expanding downtown bike patrols (from four bikes with plans to add four more), instituting dedicated foot patrols, an auxiliary warrant team that served over 100 warrants in 56 days, and an Acorns outreach unit of social workers and outreach teams. "Violent crime overall from year to date, is down 3% and our property crime is down by 29%," Chief Boyce said, crediting the department and partnerships.
Boyce also urged more integrated camera coverage: downtown has 28 registered Connect Raleigh cameras and 256 integrated cameras now, with proposals to increase both counts. The department is evaluating garage camera upgrades so footage can be more readily used by police and shared with partners. He said momentum is high and the department will reassess strategies at the end of the summer.
Councilmembers asked about potential overlap with private security and whether city investments in foot and bike patrols might affect contracted guard services. Several members also raised the idea of securing the open GoRaleigh transit facility after operating hours; staff said they were reviewing options.
Ending: City officials said measures are coordinated across departments and partner groups; police and city staff will continue implementation and report results, with a summer re‑evaluation planned for enforcement initiatives and camera upgrades.
