Report: Armed security has dropped on Charlotte's light rail as contract cost tripled
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A state investigation of the Charlotte Area Transit System found the agency has fewer armed security than in past years, even as its security costs have escalated.
Why it matters: The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor's preliminary report, conducted after the Aug. 22 light rail stabbing, addresses some community concerns about whether CATS has become less safe to ride. No security was on board at the time of the attack.
What's inside: CATS' armed security has fallen by at least 40% since 2018, from at least 68 armed positions (out of 108 total positions) to 39 (out of 219 total). That's not enough for CATS to guard all 48 of its train cars at once, the audit emphasizes.
- Meanwhile, the value of CATS' security contract has more than tripled, rising from $5.9 million in 2022 to $18.4 million in 2025.
Friction point: The audit blasts the city for letting DEI priorities and "partisan motives" influence who CATS awarded its security contract to.
- When CATS first contracted with its current provider, Professional Security Services, in 2023, it limited bids to minority-, women- and small-business owned firms. That, auditors wrote, "functionally excluded other qualified vendors who could have provided security for CATS riders."
- Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a press release that using a "DEI checkbox raises questions as to whether politics has taken priority over public safety."
- "The safety of the citizens of Charlotte needs to be first and foremost when security decisions are being made," Boliek said.
The other side: In response to the audit, the city argued the report suggests PSS is not qualified but doesn't offer specific evidence. It added that PSS provided security for President Trump during his first presidential campaign.
- Overall, the total number of security personnel is higher than it was, if you count unarmed positions, from 108 in 2018 to 219 currently.
- "CATS increased security personnel by over 100%," the city wrote in a letter, signed by Mayor Vi Lyles. "CATS goal was to significantly increase presence of security personnel through the transit system."
- However, as of early September, PSS only had 186 positions staffed.
Between the lines: State Auditor Boliek is one of many Republicans to criticize the Democratic leaders in Charlotte, a blue city, in the weeks since the stabbing.
- A congressional committee visited the city earlier this week for a field hearing, where Republican representatives rebuked Charlotte's "weak leadership" and "soft-on-crime" policies.
- Boliek also launched an investigation into Charlotte's government after it gave police chief Johnny Jennings a six-figure settlement to avoid a potential lawsuit.
What's next: CATS is expected to announce new security enhancements on Friday. The press conference, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was rescheduled for later in the week following the release of the audit.