Charlotte City Council on Wednesday, Sept. 16, approved a five-year, $125,000 contract for software that will track patterns in police officer behavior and flag concerns before they escalate.

The contract with Benchmark Solutions gives the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department an early intervention system (EIS). The stated goals are to spot trends in officer conduct, measure outcomes and give department leaders another tool when examining police practices.

Ballantyne falls within CMPD's Southwest Service Area, meaning officers who patrol the community's neighborhoods would be subject to the system's monitoring.

A CMPD officer explained to WCNC how the system would work. If a resident reported a concerning interaction with an officer, data from that encounter would be stored in the software and analyzed to identify behavioral patterns. Those patterns would then guide early intervention with the officer and help shape department training.

Charlotte resident Carlos Lopez spoke in favor of the contract at the meeting. He pointed to a mental health incident in Shelby that he said happened a couple of months ago, in which a person in crisis received what he called terrible treatment from police. Lopez said the funding would help CMPD develop strategies to better serve residents.

At-large Council Member LaWana Mayfield called the approval "a move in the right direction" and said the system would give the city a concrete process for tracking officer conduct.

"This would be a way for our residents, and visitors — when they are interacting with a law enforcement officer that is acting inappropriately, that we will be able to track that," Mayfield said.

Council members broadly framed the contract as a step to strengthen accountability and maintain resident trust, according to WCNC's reporting. The exact vote tally was not included in available records.

No implementation timeline or go-live date for the system has been announced.