City Council Elections: The Big Issues-- Police Department

Let's recall the recent history of the Greensboro Police Department.

During 2005, false racial accusations were made against the leadership of the Greensboro Police Department and certain officers within the Department.  Shortly thereafter, city staff drove out the entire command staff, and placed certain officers under a prolonged, Kafkaesque series of investigations.  Dozens of black officers sued the city after the city attorney's office had essentially written their case for them. 

A new chief was hired.  It became clear that significant numbers of officers within the department simply were not working.  It was predictable that crime would soon spike severely. 

In various other ways, the department descended into chaos.

Then Bill Knight was elected mayor along with three other conservatives on the city council.  Knight's chief interest when he ran was the state of the GPD.  The city manager understood the mandate Knight's election represented; and began to enact changes.  And gradually, the department regained the trust of the general public.

There is still more work to do.  Crime levels remain too high.

But it is clear to me that we risk serious consequences if voters place the wrong "team" on the city council.  Robbie Perkins and Yvonne Johnson attempted to protect Mitchell Johnson from accountability over GPD issues.  If they are elected, the Pulpit Forum ministers would gain higher levels of access and influence once again. Recall that these ministers have an agenda to undermine the department.  The tendency in Greensboro had been to demonize and vilify police; and that previous norm is now at risk of returning.

I am concerned that other prospective candidates would adopt a similar viewpoint to varying degrees.  Marikay Abuzuaiter , Wayne Abraham and Nancy Hoffmann have served on the "human relations commission" which handles citizen complaints against the police department.  In fact, Abraham expressed public support for Mitchell Johnson at least several times when the whole mess was unfolding.

The current city council, for the most part, remained behind the city manager as he undertook the task of reforming the department.  Rashad Young doubtless understood that he would be supported as he performed this politically risky work.  We have Mayor Bill Knight and council members Danny Thompson, Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade to thank.  They should all be re-elected.  My hope and expectation is that Chris Lawyer would also be on their team regarding GPD-related issues if he is elected.

Comments

[Axelskater]

Besides the 4 you mentioned there is at least 1 other council person who has been a staunch supporter of Chief Miller from the beginning, and will continue to be, I believe.

[Sal Leone]

I will side with Joe here. I have talked with GPD officers and they are to be honest down and out. The City over the last 10 or so years has been anti-cop, mitch johnson was no help. I think having a pro-cop council, like Knight and the others a must.

[Joe Guarino]

I agree, Sal. It was outrageous what our local political culture was doing to conscientious police officers just a couple of years ago.

Axel, I think the jury is still out on Chief Miller's performance. We need to remember that some of the heavy lifting on some of the disciplinary issues within the GPD took place when an interim chief was serving. If you have a council member who supports frivolous unnecessary spending, it undermines the GPD. The GPD competes with other cost centers for a limited pool of revenues available to the city. Every time council members like Vaughan and Matheny bow before interest groups and spend money unnecessarily, it limits the ability of the GPD to compete for funding.

[Billy Jones]

I think Chief Miller has done an excellent job considering the hand he's been dealt. If city council would put more money in GPD and less into their own pet projects the chief could help make this a safe city in which to live.

[Joe Guarino]

Of course, Billy, Robbie Perkins is also a big part of the problem in terms of funding pet projects.

But the big risk is that the same old crowd will politicize the police department once again and throw it into chaos-- just as they did before. We had a nice respite from that status quo, for the most part, over the last couple of years.

[Brian Clarey]

A high crime rate is not a function of the police department. It is almost exclusively tied to economic conditions.

[bubba]

"It is almost exclusively tied to economic conditions."

Yes, of course.

Why don't we just pay people to not commit crimes?

[Brian Clarey]

Why don't we make sure they are educated and have opportunities?

[Micheleforrest]

Proactive policing has been shown to reduce crime.

[Sal Leone]

I agree with Brian, a high crime rate ande bad economy go hand and hand. The problem with criminals is that they do not want to work at getting a great life, education, etc. The criminal wants a free ride and easy money. I have a personal belief but some may not agree. The problem with criminals is they do not faer the system, simple as that. The liberals in society want to rehab them. NEWSFLASH, you can not rehab a felon who is a career criminal. What you going to do in jail, rehab a sex offender so he can work in a daycare, common people. I have spent 18 years plus on the street and have seen rehab crack heads always go back to the pipe, felons return to their bad habits. I think parole and probation need to go, do not do the crime if you cant do the time. I am tired of everyone wanting to help these people, help the people who play by the rules and not the ones that break into your home and violate you, not the crack deal who posions society, not the rapest who violates women. HELP THE LAW ABIDING CITIZEN. TO HELL WITH THE CRIMINAL. PEOPLE NEED TO FEAR THE SYSTEM.

[Sal Leone]

My bad with the misspelled words, fast typer,lol

[Micheleforrest]

Sal, wow. I'm thankful that the GPD cops I do street outreach with don't think like you. Some people never change, but some do. I know. I see it first-hand. You have all this love for politicians, but no tolerance for those who most need your compassion. That's sad, to say the least.

[bubba]

"Why don't we make sure they are educated and have opportunities?"

Why don't we re-invent the idea in our society that an education and opportunities are something that requires effort from each individual?

[bubba]

Why don't we re-invent the idea that committing a crime is not socially acceptable behavior, and make sure the enablers of criminal behavior understand that as well??

[Sal Leone]

Dont take me the wrong way Michele. I am all for helping kids who make small mistakes and get back on the right path. I do not want to put a teenager in jail for years for stealing a steak because he is hungry. The criminals I speak of are hardcore felons, drug dealers, people who break into your cars, homes, fraud artists that destroy your life. I had no love for people who break into your house. I will teal you a little story, My dad died in 1978 when I was 6 and about 10 years ago I placed all the pictures and film in a safe. A thief broke into my moms house and stole the safe, so I have no pics of my dad and dont know how he looks like at times. So thiefs have no love from me, people steal because they are mean and dont care about the society we live in. Anyone want to do a ride along, let me know because I can prove my theory.

SAL

[Micheleforrest]

Sal, let me tell you a little story. I have friends and family in law enforcement. They all believe in giving criminals -- including "hardcore felons" -- second chances. So do I. Some of the people that I love the most in my life have served years in prison for felonies.

[Joe Guarino]

I don't think it is inevitable that crime goes up with a poor economy. In fact, in the year or two after the onset of this recession, crime went down.

I can understand why law enforcement officers like Sal become exasperated with a revolving-door criminal justice system. Yes, there is room for second chances, but multiple offenders-- and certain types of criminal offenders-- need to be treated by the system much more strictly and with less flexibility.

[Sal Leone]

I know and feel what you are saying Michele and I like to see people turn their life around. There are crimes that I can not forgive, Rape, Murder,drug dealing and crimes against children and elderly. I know that there are some felonies that are not as serious and I am all about someone getting his life back but those are few and far in between. I would love crime to go down but in 18 years crime has been getting worse and I dont see a stop to it. I pray it will but the justice system was not designed for this and we need reform.

[Micheleforrest]

"There are crimes that I can not forgive..."

I guess we're different.

[Micheleforrest]

P.S. The justice system can't change anyone. God can. And he puts no limits on forgiveness.

[Micheleforrest]

Sal, I want to clarify more what I'm saying to you. I'm all for enforcing laws and arresting criminals. Actions have consequences. Prison has been the best thing that ever happened to a lot of people I know.

My point is that you can't just say "to hell with the criminals" or unilaterally decide that people who've done X, Y or Z are not worthy of forgiveness. That's ridiculous. It's absurd and wrong.

I know drug dealers, rapists, child molesters, all kinds of violent felons. But the thing is, they're not labels, they're people. I know what's behind what they did. That doesn't excuse it, but I can see how things happen, why people do what they do. Should they still be punished by the justice system? Absolutely. Should they also be forgiven and loved? Yes, absolutely. Forgiveness is not a substitute for consequences. We can do both. We should do both.

[George Hartzman]

I don't personally know who Michele Forrest is,
but I find her to be a relatively very good person.

We may disagree on some stuff.
but I know what unconditional love is.

Many must be very proud to call you friend.

gh

[Sal Leone]

I agree George Michele is a nice person. I agree Michele that I will pray for their souls and I do hope they ask for gods forgiveness and get it because our time here is limited. I do hope that our govt can begin to look at other ways rather then putting people in jail and rehab them because it benefits all of us. I just dont t hink the govt really cares about helping people. We just built a new jail and spent what like over a 100 million dollars. I bet there are groups that fight homelessness, drug abuse, metal illness that got nonthing. I am all about helping people because I want them off the street but society just is in the mind set of locking people up, I agree to a point of serious felons being in jail but there are those that need treatment or we are just going in a circle.