The Greensboro City Council has been intensely interested in the Police Department this year.
City staff has responded with a number of initiatives to make Greensboro Police Department (GPD) data more available and the GPD more responsive to the community.
An email from City Manager David Parrish to city councilmembers provides updates on four of those efforts.
A “dashboard” that will display GPD data on the use of force, traffic stops and complaints is being configured and the pilot was scheduled to be up and running this week.
Criminal Justice Administrator Latisha McNeil, who works with the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission (GCJAC), is conducting an independent review of random police interactions with citizens involving traffic stops, complaints and searches.
The way the review will work is that three incidents from each category, a total of nine each month, will be evaluated starting this month. The monthly review will be submitted to Assistant City Manager Trey Davis.
The GCJAC website will also include a citizen survey of police interactions with the public. The purpose of the survey is to provide another avenue for people to communicate their experiences with the GPD.
Davis, Budget and Evaluation Director Jon Decker and McNeil are representing Greensboro in a multi-city effort to analyze 911 calls. This process is still in the initial phase of conducting an inventory of 911 calls and determining what data will be evaluated. Both Guilford Metro 911 and the GPD will be assisting on this effort.
Councilmember Justin Outling noted that both reviewing random incidents and the GCJAC public survey are related to the concerns he raised about a 16-year-old being stopped and questioned on the Greenway.
Outling said in an email, “These are some really good changes, which will provide greater transparency and hopefully allow the city to identify and resolve potential issues even where persons are unwilling or hesitant to file formal complaints.”
I wonder if Latisha will contact any White persons who get stopped and who might give a positive response – probably not! I must say I have been stopped by Black and White officers and the experiences have never been anything but professional. No one likes to get stopped, but treat them with respect and courtesy and you’ll get that in return.
You nailed it Sherry! Most of the time you get what you give. While I’m not much of a Chris Rock fan, he outlined this perfectly in a skit titled “How not to get your a__ kicked by the police.” The concept was simple: Behave in a civil manner and be respectful and that is what you can expect in return. On the other extreme, act like a disrespectful thug and you’ll likely have a less pleasant encounter. The simplest concept was not to break the law in the first place. Another line mentioned being cautious of who you hang out with. Pretty much what our elders taught us all growing up. The police are supposed to be patrolling high crime areas, wherever those may be at a given time, so if you happen to live in or frequent those areas you can expect more encounters with those doing their job. If you want that to improve, you and other law abiding citizens need to help flush out the thugs. The anti-snitch and silent culture just encourages more thuggery.
Greensboro police and Council need a windshield not a “dashboard”. Full transparency not an algorithm or another bloated survey or random sample boondoggle. Greensboro police officers are usually very professional but when your bosses demand that you harass panhandlers, buskers, and folks downtown after 11 and encourage military style grenadier teams and purchase LRAD sonic weapons for crowd control it is very difficult to integrate yourself into the community peacefully. Also when are Mayor and Council criminalize normal and legal actions then anyone can be a target (like curfews and knee jerk unconstitutional prohibitions).
I would like to see the transparency that council will like for the police department to be modeled by the council itself. You know the same council that is severely restricting any public comments at meetings.