Occupy Charlotte protests cost nearly half a million dollars

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have spent roughly 447-thousand dollars on patrols and other work related to Occupy Charlotte since the movement began in October.

That figure includes about 18-thousand dollars related to Monday’s removal of tents from the Old City Hall lawn as officers worked to enforce a new ordinance barring camping on city property.

The expenses were covered by reallocating offers from other duties, and not using overtime funds.

CMPD has had officers patrol Occupy Charlotte activities at the makeshift “tent city” that was set up on the lawn, as well as during marches to various sites in uptown since the fall.

For example, police have had a patrol cruiser with an officer inside parked across the street from Old City Hall.