RALEIGH — Three of North Carolina’s congressional delegation have sent a letter to Gov. Josh Stein urging him to grant a request by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police to send the National Guard into Charlotte.
N.C. Congressman Mark Harris (R-Indian Trail) is leading the effort and letter, which is signed by Republican colleagues Chuck Edwards (R-Flat Rock) and Pat Harrigan (R-Hickory).
“Governor Stein is deaf to the desperate pleas of Charlotte’s police and residents,” Harris said in a press release. “He refuses reinforcements to crush the violent crime surge — exposing him and his party as pro-crime Democrats who coddle criminals while ignoring victims. That’s why my colleagues and I are fighting for millions of North Carolinians, demanding we reclaim the Queen City. Governor Stein: Stop stalling — send in the Guard now.”
The letter cites Stein’s “consistent refusal” to grant the request by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police.
“As you know, the situation in our state’s largest city has become increasingly dire,” wrote the lawmakers. “Recently, the city faced 8 homicides in 7 days. The murder rate in uptown Charlotte is now 200 percent higher than it was a year ago.
“According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, aggravated assaults involving knives and guns have risen from 86 in 2024 to 111 in 2025, and personal strong-arm robberies have increased from 26 to 31 in the same period,” the letter states. “These are not just numbers — they represent North Carolinians whose lives have been lost or shattered by violent crime.”
The letter includes specific examples of “egregious” cases such as Decarlos Brown, accused in the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail system; Herbert Jordan, who has been arrested 50 times; and a Charlotte teen arrested 111 times in two years but who is not in jail.
“The men and women who wear the badge in Charlotte have sounded an unmistakable cry for help. Yet, you have rejected their cry,” the lawmakers wrote in closing. “The people of North Carolina deserve to know why their governor has refused help while the officers sworn to protect them plead for immediate assistance.”
Daniel Redford, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police (CMFOP) gave support to the letter.
“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police continues to stand by our request for federal assistance,” said Redford. “What is most concerning is that city leaders, many of whom have served multiple terms, have failed to foresee these police shortages and build the ranks of CMPD at a time when attrition was manageable.
“The officers of CMPD are now tasked with the burden of their failures and they grow more and more exhausted as each day passes.”
The CMFOP made public its request to Charlotte city leaders for National Guard help in an Oct. 4 Facebook post, which included screenshots of their official letter.
“Last night, we delivered an urgent plea to our City Leaders — an official letter asking for federal support, including National Guard deployment, to help pull Charlotte back from the brink,” the CMFOP wrote in the post. “This isn’t politics — it’s a fight for our neighbors’ lives.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who was reelected to a fifth term in last week’s election, rejected the idea of sending the National Guard at the time CMFOP made its request.
“No, we do not intend to request the National Guard,” she said in a statement. “Charlotte has strong leaders across all sectors who are dedicated to ensuring our community remains safe.”
The same day CMFOP made its request to Charlotte leaders, Stein signed Iryna’s Law, named after Zarutska.
The law ends cashless bail for certain offenders, creates a “violent offense” category mandating a secured bond or GPS-monitored house arrest for those crimes, and limits discretion of magistrates and judges to release a person on a promissory note to reappear.
The governor signed the measure on the last day before it would have become law without his signature, criticizing it by saying it failed “to focus appropriately on the threat that people pose instead of their ability to post bail.”
A spokesperson from Stein’s office responded to North State Journal’s request for comment on the letter, writing in an email, “Local, well-trained law enforcement officers who live in and know their communities are best equipped to keep North Carolina neighborhoods safe, not military servicemembers. That is why Governor Stein has been working to expand our ranks of well-trained law enforcement officers.”
The spokesperson noted the governor “has called on the General Assembly to fund his plan to extend raises and recruitment and retention bonuses to law enforcement and make investments in mental health to keep everyone safe.”
Stein has asked the legislature to fund the $195 million in public safety initiatives included in his March budget proposal.
