The Greensboro City Council will hold a work session on Tuesday, Aug. 11 on consent searches conducted by the Greensboro Police Department (GPD).
A consent search often occurs during a traffic stop when the police officer requests the driver’s “consent” to search the vehicle. One reason it has become an issue is that people who police say consented to the search later say that they didn’t give permission or that they didn’t understand that they could refuse to allow the search.
This issue has been on the City Council back burner for months. Councilmember Tammi Thurm, who has been pushing for this work session, brings the issue up periodically, and one of the reasons given for the long delay is that the City Council was waiting for a recommendation from the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission (GCJAC), which has now been completed.
The recommendation from the GCJAC is that the Greensboro Police Department use a written form for consent searches. Currently, officers are required to inform the person that they have the right to refuse, but a signature on a form granting consent is not required.
In explaining the reasons that it advocated for a signed consent form, the recommendation from GCJAC states: “Rationale. A signed consent form provides persons being searched with the opportunity to provide documented and informed consent to a search. This measure will increase transparency and accountability among GPD as well as allow person to exercise their constitutional rights.”
The GCJAC recommendation also states, “Overall, we found that the GPD’s current policy on consent searches was very comprehensive. In looking at this policy compared to others across the state (High Point, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Charlotte, Durham, Asheville and Fayetteville), the policy allows for a great level of transparency. With the recommended changes to the form, we feel that the Greensboro Police Department will be providing more transparency and giving the residents the ability to fully understand the consent to search agreement.”
GCJAC also recommended that the officer be required to read the form to the person being searched and that the fact that a person can withdraw their consent at anytime during the search be emphasized.
Since when does the Greensboro City Council have the Authority that is ALWAYS used and held by the Court System. The issue of “Consent Searches”, if there is one, should be decided by a Court, and not Politicians. The Council is taking on the Presumed Power of a Dictatorship. They have no such power. What police can and cannot do is and has been determined by the courts and by State Legislation (which is also eventually determined by the Courts). These City Councils through out the Country are getting above their actual power, and becoming little dictatorships, whose will is totally controlled by criminal elements dictating how and what they may react to. It may also be of note, that these same city councils are almost always of a Democratic Party Majority! Maybe that should be telling us something!
Thanks for saying what so many of us feel.
All citizen interactions are already recorded on body worn cameras. Why would a form, which could be doctored, be needed when everything is already on video? More paper forms, that’s what we need. Ridiculous.
Also, the GPD does not have to say that someone can refuse consent when they ask, and why would they? The fact that the officer is asking your permission, means that you can say yes or no. If they did not need permission, they would not bother asking.
Officer dons’t need consent if he has probable cause…what officer is gonna stand on the side of the road and read some form to someone? What a joke!
I love it when our City Council-none of who know anything about policing-determine policy. Why don’t you let the chief do his job. Quit looking for reasons to go after officers. They won’t stop until we turn into Portland.
32 homicides. 2 females. 2 white people. 1 Hispanic. You fill in the remaining stat. Our council is failing the part of the population they feign to protect. Just like the police were told to stand down during the riots and property destruction. But that’s just property, white privilege, and inconvenience-right Nancy and Sharon?
Well said!
Mary
What makes you think the Chief is not OK with this, perhaps even colluding with Council?
I haven’t seen or heard the Police pushing back on any of this, have you?
That’s a good question. Remember City Council loves to hire people in prime positions that are “yes” men. And I know that technically only the city attorney and city manager report to council. Don’t kid yourself: they have picked the last few chiefs. What initiatives have come out when the city is on a record pace for homicides? The sound you hear from council and the chief on this issue is crickets.
You have hit on the prime issue with our city government. The department heads probably are not conspiring to get these initiatives through. But they don’t fight back.
Until our city council is made up of true representatives of the people of greensboro (white males have no representation but most always foot the bills) this horse-hockey will continue. this council does not represent me and I’m embarrassed to tell people I’m from greensboro. I am PROUD to be female, White, financially comfortable, educated, and never been arrested. Not privileged, just worked my fanny off putting myself through school, a 30 year mortgage, and watched as I was passed over for jobs and promotions so that others could be treated equally – leaving me treated unequally because of my skin color. White Lives Matter! Paint that on your road!
I was under the impression that the city council supervised only two city employees: the city manager and the city attorney. Maybe micro managing the police department is not considered supervising. Just more evidence the elected leadership of Greensboro is heading further south.
Chief needs to tell the city council this is his Department and he will run it as he sees fit while abiding by laws, not city council made up prejudice, racial bull**it. Why does an officer need a consent to search if probable cause is valid?
The law is the law! The city council feels they are above the law and make there own law(s).
Chief do not be like the last chief who only cared about his pension, not his department and coward to the city council.
I am at a loss of words for the blm people and those of minority status who say that Whitey (Males)runs and controls all positions of govt.in local and state level.In Greensboro,city council is made up of all minority and female( which includes the mayor) .We have a black police chief,a black sheriff several commissioners are female and black.Most of of leaders in this town are black and white female and male.The cities in America has police chief’s,sheriff’s,and mayor’s mostly black male and female.Also most of the cities have Democrat as there choice of party(look at Portland and Seattle).As is the case the Democratic Party and black and white male and female people are running our cities into large debt .Does America have a chance if we continue giving away all our resources and jobs to foreigners when we have Democratic leaders.God help us all if we loose this Presidential election to sleepy Joe!!!!!!!!!
Let the Chief run his department.
These clowns on the council have badgered the guy from the day he took the position. He doesn’t need citizen review committees, activist groups, PAC’s, nor the City Council dictating policy. He’s very capable of handling things on his own if you’ll leave the man alone and let him run his department. All the time he has to spend on unnecessary drama such as this takes him away from legitimate matters that need his attention and guidance. Same goes for the Sheriff. If these guys have to spend all their time meeting with special interest groups demanding this or that it takes them away from what we the taxpayers put them there to do. Times are a changing. Maybe they should start charging these groups for their time whenever they have to cave and speak to a large group just to defend that they are doing what they’re supposed to by upholding the constitution and following what the law dictates they must do. By the way, that would require roughly $77 an hour to reimburse the citizens. But it doesn’t stop there. Their staff and attorneys put in countless hours responding to the constant barrage of requests for information of all kinds. Hours that should and could be spent on pressing and routine matters we paybthem all to handle. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say it costs the taxpayers $600+ per hour in payroll, benefits, materials, overhead, and necessary operating expenses to answer any requests beyond the simplest of matters. I’d love to see a line in the sand on what time can be spent to fulfill a reasonable request and our local officials charge for any time beyond that threshold. I think they would have far fewer frivolous and politically motivated requests for data. Chief James, Sheriff Rogers, I commend you both for your professionalism and tolerance with the mess the world is throwing your way and I am truly grateful to you and all the brave men and women who serve alongside you daily.
Greensboro city government follows the council-manager concept, which is a close collaboration between the city council and city manager on all matters that come within the scope of city government. In practice the city council has two employees: the city manager and city attorney, and in practice the city manager oversees all city departments and employees.
The Greensboro Code of Ordinances calls for four standing committees comprised of appointed council members. Among the duties and procedures of the standing committees is a requirement for a standing committee to meet with the city manager when requested by him (her) for policy discussions or advisory purposes, not the other way around. This is consistent with the council-manager form of city government that Greensboro has followed for many decades, standing committees notwithstanding. At a minimum it raises the question of whether city council should encroach city manager responsibilities by holding a policy oriented work session concerning police consent searches. Policy matters rightfully ought to be handled by the city manager who then is able to make his recommendations at a council meeting.
As the city ordinance says, the manager may, at his choosing, consult with city council on consent search. The city manager and his subordinate staff are highly competent and certainly capable of working with the police department to formulate a valid search policy, if that is what is called for. They are the professionals and should be allowed to do their job unimpeded. The manager’s job is to deliver results to the city council: this is why we have him.
It is an opportune time for the city council to display confidence in the ability of the city manager and his staff. It will be noticed by many.
Bill Knight
Former Greensboro Mayor
An excellent summary of how the system is supposed to work. Obviously, the current mayor and council have no understanding of the council-manager concept. Years ago, the various governmental systems were taught in a class called “CIVICS”. That class also taught the concepts of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and how local, state and federal governments worked and under what authority each held. Today’s educational system is so broken that there is no time for instruction of how our country is supposed to work. Instead, it is all about diversity, racism and how nothing is fair due to inequity due to events that took place 150 years ago. Wake up people, our republic is in its last years of existence due to our own lack of guts to stand up to such biased claims.
It is an opportune time for you to return as mayor, sir.
Bryan, you make a very valid and important point.
Maybe we need to organize a drive to convince Bill to return to te political arena and make a run for the position of Mayor.
The situation is very SIMPLE. The City Council is make up of ALL women and one black man who can’t get a word of value to be heard. WOMEN always want to control MEN. This is the way women think. Without WHITE MEN taking part in making the decisions for the City of Greensboro the City will continue becoming a very poor place for good people to live. Remember, the first women on earth tried to poison the first MAN who was created in GOD’S image and we know which one of the two was the best person.
Tammi Thurm received almost all of her campaign funding from outside her district and a LOT from outside the city. State law should be followed here. If you do not like the law, petition the legislature to change it. This council has gone rogue.
Serfs and Peasants of the Peoples Republic of Greensboro,
Be reminded that there are several colleges and universities within your limits and would you care to guess how the overwhelming majority of the students (aka temporary citizens) vote.
What do they care if they are the swing vote on passing all these bonds and putting those who consider themselves royalty, people who honestly believe they know whats best for you and will most benevolently bestow it on you regardless of what you think. Those temporary citizens don’t have to live with the result of their vote. They’re leaving in a few years never to return.
Why it the city council telling the police what to do. I though that was the Mayor Job o”I FOR GOT Sharon Hightower is be hind this mass she needs to set down or put in applications to be a police woman I SAY THIS IF THE POLICE Don’t know what to do that need to leave.