In March of 2023, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department started Operation SCARLET, which is the acronym for Stolen Car and Recovery Law Enforcement Team. This Team was started in response to a significant number of high-end motor vehicle thefts in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. The SCARLET Team has collaborated with 21 law enforcement agencies, including federal, state, and local law enforcement across 13 states in their efforts. As a result, in 2023, the SCARLET Team recovered 180 stolen vehicles with an estimated value of $11 million and seized approximately $941,000 in cash, 111 guns, and over $900,000 in street-value narcotics. This also led to 85 felony arrests, with over 800 criminal charges filed. But that’s not all; so far in 2024, the SCARLET Team has recovered an additional 40 stolen vehicles and seized $196,388. In cash, seized 27 guns and large amounts of narcotics, which resulted in another 45 arrests. In honor of this excellent investigative work and tireless efforts, the Southeast IAATI Chapter recognizes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg SCARLET Team with the Award of Merit.