NEWS

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At the February 13 meeting of the Town Board, the first item of business was a review of the town’s response to a police-involved incident on January 20 and 21, 2024, and subsequent communications to the public. Commissioners had called for the review at their January 23 meeting.

The agenda for the meeting provided the following summary of the event:

“On January 20 and 21, 2024, Davidson Police were involved in capturing a suspect that was wanted from Iredell County. Some residents expressed concern about the police response and delay in communicating with the community. At the January 23 Board of Commissioners meeting, the Board requested a review from the Town Manager and the Police Chief regarding the incident and the town’s response. The charge from the Board was to conduct a review of the incident including what went right and opportunities for improvement including, but not limited to, a review of our processes and protocols to better understand the response times and communications with residents in emergency situations.”

At the meeting, Mayor Knox introduced Town Manager, Jamie Justice, who presented the full review to the Commissioners. The presentation included a series of slides and attachments that included a narrative account of the events that took place on January 20 and 21 written by Davidson’s Chief of Police, Kimber Davidson, as well as a detailed timeline of events.

Town Manager Justice began by stating that he and Chief Davidson consider the public’s safety the utmost importance. Justice added that he and Chief Davidson take full responsibility for how the response was handled. Justice expressed regret that a delay in communicating accurate information contributed to fear and anxiety in the community.

The presentation was divided into three main sections: what went right, opportunities for improvement, and next steps.

Justice said the review had concluded that “no systemic failure occurred.” In support, Justice pointed to details of the police response highlighted in Chief Davidson’s after-action report.

Davidson police responded promptly to a 911 report of an abandoned vehicle, an important clarification from some suggestions that they were responding to a call about the fugitive.

The responding officer checked the vehicle’s registration and conducted a criminal background check. The resulting information led the officer to call for additional units. At the same time, the officer requested dispatchers to check with surrounding jurisdictions to determine if the vehicle had been involved in any police activities. By requesting additional information, the officer ascertained that the vehicle had been involved in an assault on an Iredell County law enforcement officer and had been used in a high-speed chase to elude officers.

Additionally, Justice shared that Davidson police had made use of drone and Infra-red technology, technologies which were particularly useful due to the sub-freezing temperatures on the night of the search. Davidson, Huntersville, and Iredell County police departments collaborated on the search, working through the night. Officers apprehended the suspect early the following morning in the woods using the drone and a canine team.

The opportunities for improvement focused primarily on the town’s communication to the public. Justice told the commissioners that he believed that “delay in communicating accurate information was at the heart of the matter.” He added, “There was misinformation out there, and had the town communicated sooner with the facts, I think that could have filled that void of misinformation with what was really happening.”

Further, Justice noted that official town communication, particularly accurate and timely information communicated via social media, is increasingly important. Justice noted that because the public does rely more heavily on social media, the town’s role is to make sure the town conveys accurate information on social media accounts to make sure the public has “the facts.”

Justice identified three primary opportunities for improvement: improving town communications processes and procedures, use of mass notification and communications technology, and incident command and communications redundancy.

Justice then highlighted the next steps the town plans to implement. The staff has begun reviewing specific changes to the town’s policies and procedures related to emergency situations, including working with the police department to develop a crisis communication plan. Additionally, Justice stated that the staff plans to review and research a range of technologies for mass notification and communication to add to or replace the current system the town is using. The town will also assess staffing needs to make sure that there are adequate personnel, including staffing redundancies, available to respond fluidly to emergency situations whenever they arise.

Justice noted that Chief Davidson has met with residents about the incident and the town’s response, and that both the Town Manager and the Police Chief will remain accessible to the community to discuss any questions or concerns people might have.

Mayor Knox thanked the town manager and the police chief for their timely review and response.

Following the presentation, the commissioners had a range of comments and questions to clarify the information presented and to explore next steps and plans for improvement. The commissioners’ questions were answered in turn by Town Manager Justice, Chief Davidson, and the Town’s Communications Director, Jessica Eggimann Johnson.

More than one commissioner strongly recommended that all residents read the report and sign up for news updates from the town as well as “CharMeck Alerts” from the county.