GPD: A Lack of Focus on the Mission

The news this weekend of AJ Blake's reinstatement is just one more example.  And we are now hearing chatter that a high-ranking male officer within the department has had sexual relations with a subordinate female officer/trainee.

During the last four years, we have seen numerous pieces of evidence that the Greensboro Police Department is being used to enact a social and political agenda that has little to do with fighting crime.  We have repeatedly witnessed poor decisions made, and wrongheaded approaches taken, by the political/managerial class that is responsible for the work of the Police Department.

When you repeatedly take your eye off your core mission, your endeavor is likely to go off track.

City Journal has an excellent article by George Kelling, one of the architects of the crime-fighting approach that has yielded such outstanding dividends in New York.  And it has also produced an impactful video that recounts the history.

As you watch the video, contrast the sense of focus that the leaders and officers have had in New York with the nonsense we have had in Greensboro.  The video describes how collapsing crime rates helped lead to New York's economic resurgence.

Doing better with our police department could yield similar dividends here in Greensboro.  Instead, the political manipulation of our police department makes it more closely resemble the pre-Giuliani, pre-Bratton NYPD described in the video:

Comments

[Roch101]

"And we are now hearing chatter that a high-ranking male officer within the department has had sexual relations with a subordinate female officer/trainee."

We are?

[Wendy S. Raines]

I have long been a fan of William Bratton. He went on to the LAPD and will retire In October.

I would love for the GPD to have a mission. The obvious mission would be attention to crime. I have read many City Council questionnaires over the past few weeks and they all talk about the economy. If they do not think the continued attention on the GPD affects our economy and the ability to attract jobs, they are sadly mistaken. Many of my friends who used to frequent downtown to eat at the expensive restaurants avoid the area now due to the club scene and vagrants. My friends and I regularly go to Durham (yes, Durham) to Southpoint to shop.

The lack of leadership, proactive responses, and administrative ability within the City Council, City Administration, and GPD Administration is beyond comprehension. All I ask at this point is for people to pray for the men and women who strive to do the right thing.

[Joe Guarino]

Thanks, Wendy. The squalor of a crime-ridden area drags everything down. The New York example provided evidence that even the areas that were considered hopeless can be resuscitated.

Meanwhile, we spend millions on a silly Greenway that we do not police, and it instantly becomes a case example of how Greensboro is handling things. It is a boondoggle until proven otherwise, because we fail to maintain civic order.

Roch, yes, I have heard it from several sources, so there definitely is some chatter; and I understand there might be some commentary over at Ben's in the mega-thread from Friday on Blake's reinstatement.

[Cyndy Hayworth]

Joe:

Did Ben have his press conference yesterday? I didn't see anything about it on the news or in print.

If he did, where is the press?

Cyndy

[Joe Guarino]

I don't know at this point, Cyndy. I hope we will learn more about the overall response to this whole mess over the next several days.

[Ken Hill]

High taxes in New York are causing a new wave of out-migration.

[Joe Guarino]

You are right, Ken, that this is a concern. New York took a hit with 9/11, from which it partially recovered; but then the financial crisis/recession also caused some serious problems. Bloomberg is making some serious mistakes on the spending side of the equation.

[anonymous]

This give ya any ideas.

http://www.kens5.com/homepage/tab1/stories/KENS20090929_MarfaBudgetCuts.1cb5ebcc9.html

[Joe Guarino]

Anon, the desirability of a change like that is sounding better and better. But BJ Barnes' headaches would increase literally by orders of magnitude.