Greensboro has set a new record for homicides with 61 in 2020.
Police Chief Brian James held a news conference on July 7, after seven people were killed in seven days, to talk about the increase in violent crime and ask for the community’s help.
At that press conference he also noted that, with 29 homicides in 2020, Greensboro was on pace to break the homicide record and that was a record nobody wanted to break.
On Monday, Nov. 30, James held a press conference to talk about the 56 homicides so far in 2020 and noted that with a month to go Greensboro had already broken the previous record of 45 homicides in a year set in 2019.
The Greensboro City Council finally held a work session on violent crime on Monday, Dec. 7.
James noted at that meeting that the police force was understaffed, with 674 sworn officers authorized and only 612 trained sworn officers on the street. James also noted that there were 17 officers who had graduated from the police academy in field training and 17 currently enrolled in the police academy.
Since the Police Department loses about four or five officers a month, mostly from retirement but also by resignation, transferring or otherwise leaving the department, the police academy classes need to graduate about 30 officers to stay even.
On Dec. 7, Greensboro city councilmembers spoke of the need to act “immediately” to provide assistance to the Police Department.
On Dec. 14, Mayor Nancy Vaughan sent an email to councilmembers and city staff that outlined a process to pass a new ordinance requiring places that serve alcohol to have security guards and perhaps metal detectors. The City Council will start working on this ordinance on Jan. 5 and, according to Vaughan’s timeline, finish by May at the latest.
Bars and nightclubs have essentially been closed since March 17 and were completely closed from March to October. Under the current restrictions they cannot serve alcohol indoors, have to stop serving at 9 p.m. and there is a statewide 10 p.m. curfew.
Bars and nightclubs cannot logically be blamed for the increase in violent crime and homicides in 2020, although Vaughan in her email states, “We have seen an increase in violent crime connected to establishments that serve alcohol.”
In March, after taking over as police chief on Feb. 1, James asked for a staffing study noting that the number of police officers had not been increased since 2011 while the city had grown considerably during that time.
The staffing study was once again discussed at the Dec. 7 work session, but it has not been done.
The goal the City Council set in February for 2020 was to reduce violent crime by 10 percent. Instead, the number of homicides has increased from 45 in 2019 to 61 in 2020. The number of aggravated assaults has increased by 8 percent and the number of assaults with firearms has increased by 17 percent.
The Greensboro City Council set a goal of reducing violent crime in February and met on violent crime in December.
Metal detectors at performance arts boondoggle? Country Club weddings? Folk Festival?
Maybe trained security where there are lots of people and alcohol. …..even though didnt city trained GPD comit homicide on Marcus Smith within a block of a venue selling booze and with music just because he asked for help?
Murder rate are skyrocketing because our leaders are completely corrupt and ineffective. Hypocritical and complicit in understaffed police that are constantly ordered to basically act as personal enforcement for parks that close at 11pm and running around with decibel meters and enforcement of tent and rooftop music restrictions instead of getting involved in areas with real gang problems.
What is more dangerous a legally opened bar or a house party of unsupervised teens drinking ? Council members that have spouses that can be pulled speeding, with an illegally concealed and illegally purchased handgun with miniscule consequences can be blamed for supporting lax enforcement of current gun laws and is the height of know it all hypocrisy.
Is Nancy trying to make Greensboro the most unfriendly city for businesses? Also, why is no one pointing out the reality of most of the homicides? They are not due to alcohol. Thug life and keeping it real.
Back in the 50,60,and 70’s the news was whitey was in charge of everything including council members ,police,and sheriffs.Now if we could get some minorities in the position of authority we would straighten out those messes. WELL we have minorities(including white women ), now what is the answer? 2020 you can’t blame this mess on Whitey any more !!!!! Greensboro has all minority city council and mayor,police chief, and sheriff… The biggest joke of all is the mayor making noise about metal detectors and security guards at bars, she is a such a looser.Who is feeding her this ??Maybe she asked King Coop!!!!!!!! I think it’s time to clean house.FIRE them all.
COMMENT in office that will get tough on crimes
You never hear leaders mention that some of this crime starts at home & where are the parents, & what happened from age 16/17 to 23/24, this is the age most of crimes are committed & they are not being killed by the police.
Wake up parents, do you know where your unsupervised children are, even if they are adults now, did you prepare them in the proper way while they were under your parental care??
It’s official, we beat Seattle. Look out, Chicago!
Where is the “ Cure for Violence “ group?? Hey city council I believe you thought this group would serve our city homicide rate? Even thou they failed in major cities throughout the country. $900K to a city councilwoman with no accountability is a criminal action towards our citizens. You could have hired more police with that money to reduce the crime rate. You are ALL more worried about being “ politically “ correct instead of taking corrective action. Yes, several citizens needlessly lost their lives-blood is on your hands for failure to protect our citizens! You blame everyone and everything except your own actions. Shame on you! Let the police do their jobs without interference!
C’mon man. We need more money. I truly believe ‘Cure Violence’ should be expanded. It’s obvious the $250,000 we’re funneling, AHEM I mean funding, through a sitting councilwoman and her sycophants, is NOT enough, as since the program has been implemented in Greensboro violence has risen across the board. So OBVIOUSLY there’s not enough funding. I suggest a 10% tax on all white males between ages 18 and 80 be implemented and use that money to create a community-based (see Female SJW and transgender minority) think-tank with NO experience, NO accountability and NO public scrutiny or oversight. That’s a good start.
Another solution is let’s defund and eliminate the police. They are ALL racist (except for the officers of color, who are Uncle Toms anyway) More police means more white supremacy and poor, innocent children of color will start being massacred en masse if we let that happen. C’mon man. It’s ALL because of white privilege and the GOP. If we would just listen to our dear leaders, surrender all our money and blindly obey, everything will be rainbows and gumdrop smiles.
Got that right .
Relative to the Mayors insistence that bars, or establishments that serve alcohol, are a main source of murders, here are the facts.
In 2020, there was ONE murder at a bar. A murder was committed at a bars parking lot AFTER it closed and people had reassembled in the parking lot. A murder was committed away from a bar, but the victim went to the parking lot of the bar and was found there by law enforcement.
I am curious about the backlash when she enacts an ordinance requiring establishments that serve alcohol have security guards when open, and have metal detectors at the door. I am sure Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro Shrine Club, many restaurants, and other places that have never even had a severe verbal argument will have something to say, and something to take to court, should she move forward with this plan. She should back away and begin looking at real methods of reducing crime, such as funding the police department adequately. Each time she tries to use the argument that establishments that serve alcohol are the problem it makes her look more and more inept.
I agree with Jennie’s comment about parents. Why are 14-17 year old kids out on the streets past midnight or why do the parents allow this behavior. Charge the parents with neglect when a crime happens and I believe, no know, they will get the message and start enforcing unwanted behavior.
I doubt that many small businesses can afford to hire security guards and install metal detectors. Are we trying to mimic the business killing regulations of dying liberal Democrat run cities elsewhere? Small businesses seem to be put in unsustainable positions since the plandemic. Big business seem to be fine. I would think that the police already know which establishments seem to draw trouble and watch them more closely. I would imagine that most establishments that sell beer or wine have not trouble at all.
My God on Sat the 2nd day of this year 2021 ANOTHER young man was shot and died at Shaw St. and Market St. Maybe our Mayor Miss Nancy needs to take a ride around some of these neighborhoods AFTER DARK and just see what some of the problems REALLY are. It sure isn’t like going to the high toned places I’m sure she’s use to. Defund the police my a**. Get real.
The only way to stop it, is to stop giving them any money. Any suggestions on how we can do that?