State Auditor Flags Gaps in Charlotte Transit Security Following Rider’s Murder

The North Carolina State Auditor’s Office has released a rapid response special report raising concerns about security at the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) after the August 22 murder of rider Iryna Zarutska.

The review, released Sept. 30 by State Auditor Dave Boliek, found that CATS has fewer armed security personnel today than under its previous contract, despite crime rates against riders running three times the national average, according to the Federal Transit Administration.

CATS currently contracts with Professional Police Services (PSS), a Charlotte-based firm that is certified under the city’s Charlotte Business Inclusion program. The contract allows up to 219 security staff, including 39 armed personnel. But that number represents a more than 40% drop compared to the 68 or more armed officers provided under the system’s prior security contractor.

The auditor’s office also noted that PSS had not fully staffed its positions at the time of Zarutska’s death. Transit officials told the Metropolitan Transit Commission on Sept. 3 that the company had only 186 personnel in place and was still hiring.

The report highlights questions about how security contracts were awarded. In 2022, the city split the request for proposals into armed and unarmed categories, limiting the unarmed bid to vendors registered with Charlotte’s business inclusion program. That decision effectively excluded other qualified bidders, auditors said.

After initially awarding the armed services contract to Strategic Security Corporation, the city canceled the deal in 2024 due to performance issues. The city then expanded PSS’s role to cover both armed and unarmed services without issuing a new competitive bid, according to the report.

“Until recently, the number of armed guards was not sufficient to cover even one per train car,” auditors wrote, noting that CATS operates 48 rail cars and more than 300 buses.

The preliminary findings come amid growing public scrutiny of safety on Charlotte’s buses and rail lines. Zarutska’s death has sparked criticism from riders who say staffing changes have not been visible.

City officials have said they are working on improvements that include engineering upgrades, fare enforcement, and closer coordination with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

The auditor’s office stressed that the findings are preliminary and that a final report will follow after a full review. Since 2022, CATS has entered private security contracts valued at more than $49 million.