Charlotte stops funding police chemical agents amid protests

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — The Charlotte City Council has voted to stop funding chemical agents for police use a week after the city’s police department received criticism for using them on demonstrators.

News outlets report the measure to defund the chemical agents passed in a 9-2 vote Monday night.

A city official says the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has spent $103,000 on chemical agents in 2020.

A local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police slammed the council’s vote, calling it dangerous and saying the city would be on fire without the use of chemical agents.