Deputy Police Chief Brian James will be sworn in as Greensboro police chief at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 31 at the Carolina Theatre at 310 S. Greene St.
James will become the 23rd Greensboro chief of police, replacing Police Chief Wayne Scott, who retires on Jan. 31. So, technically, James will not take over as police chief until Saturday, Feb. 1.
James has been with the Greensboro Police Department since 1996 and has been a deputy chief since 2015.
In August, shortly after Scott announced he would be retiring, Greensboro started the process of doing a national search for a new police chief, and one of the first steps in that process was holding community forums across the city to get input on what the residents of Greensboro wanted and expected in a new chief.
The nationwide search resulted in 39 applications and City Manager David Parrish announced he had selected James as the new chief on Jan. 14.
James plans to hit the ground running and, on Thursday, Jan. 30, the Police Department announced that James would be holding eight community meetings during February and early March, with at least one in each of the five City Council districts.
At the community meetings, James and the commanding officers of the GPD will be discussing public safety issues in the neighborhoods and the public will be given the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.
The community meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations:
Tuesday, Feb. 11 – Barber Park Events Center – 1502 Barber Park Dr.
Thursday, Feb. 13 – Lindley Recreation Center – 2907 Springwood Dr.
Thursday, Feb. 20 – Brown Recreation Center – 302 E. Vandalia St.
Tuesday, Feb. 25 – Glenn McNairy Branch Library – 4860 Lake Jeanette Road
Thursday, Feb. 27 – Leonard Recreation Center – 6324 Ballinger Road
Thursday, March 5 – Central Library – 219 N. Church St.
Tuesday, March 10 – Peeler Recreation Center – 1300 Sykes Ave.
Thursday, March 12 – Griffin Recreation Center – 5301 Hilltop Road
