According to the latest report, the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) is currently operating at about 80 percent of its authorized staffing level.
The GPD is authorized for 689 sworn officers and is currently 129 officers short of that mark, which corresponds to an 18.7 percent vacancy rate.
The numbers provided by the GPD hedge that number because the GPD counts 29 people who are “not fully trained and assigned.” This includes cadets in the Police Academy, lateral transfers who have not been trained, and pre-hires. Counting pre-hires is something of a stretch. These are people who have been accepted for the next police academy class. So, they may attend the next class and not complete it. They may get a better offer from some other law enforcement agency and never show up for the first session, or they may decide that law enforcement is not the career path they want and accept a job in some other field.
The most important point is that the vacancy rate in the GPD continues to grow and it most likely will grow at a faster rate this year because of retirements. In August 2022, the GPD listed 100 vacancies in active duty sworn police officers.
So, in six months the number of vacancies has grown to 129.
The numbers are likely to get worse because in the early 1990s the federal government had a program that paid the salaries for new police officers for two years. As a result, the GPD and other law enforcement agencies hired more new officers than usual. And since that was 30 years ago, those officers hired through the federal program are now eligible for retirement.
For the GPD to maintain its current level of staffing from each Police Academy class, the GPD needs to put 30 trained officers out on the street. Realistically each class needs to start with over 30 cadets, but the most recent classes have not reached 20 cadets.
Only 13 officers graduated from the Police Academy in August 2022. The class started with 18, which is nowhere near the 30 the GPD needed just to stay even.
Suprised? No support, lack of funding to the department, ( cure for violence received funding with NO results made public), lack of need equipment for the departments divisions, lack of backing from city council or Mayor. Crime and deaths increases as our council and mayor keep defunding the police. They talk about all the support they provide to the department, really, show us the citizens of Greensboro your support. Talk is cheap, actions produce results.
Defunding the police by attrition. Sooner or later, everyone will need to pack. Retail store employees, rife with shoplifting will not risk their person or their lives to interfere. Armed guards will be needed everywhere.
Talk to guru Don. He’s got the answer. Don tell us Winston Salem has take home cars better pay and still has over 100 vacant police positions. What’s your argument to this fact.
What is your answer? 200 vacancies? Two of the last exits were due to criminal sex charges. Plus a non-sworn on sex charges. All against children or young people. How is dropping those standards working out? That’s what is happening across the country. No, vehicles are not the only answer. But standing by and watching good officers walk out the door and go to Burlington is not the answer either.
I suspect you, GSOman, were in a position that had a take home car.
I was in that position except it was my car. I bought it, paid for it, maintained it and paid for my insurance. Cars and compensation are not the total answer. Full support from the council and community would be a good start. Respect from the people would be another. There was a time in this country that being a Police Officer was an honor. But the attitude in our country has changed. Today there’s not money or free anything for me to be a Police Officer or a school teacher just too many in our communities that have no respect for either profession
Money doesn’t hurt. If you worked at a bank working an identical job and another bank offered you thousands of dollars more, additional benefits, and a vehicle would you take it? Or would you sit on principle or some fake loyalty to a city government that does not give two craps about you?
No, let’s just sit on our hands, stay non-competitive, and let recruits come spontaneously rolling in.
I don’t get what’s so hard to understand, so let me explain it to GSOman like he was child….
Policing is a job market, little boy. Can you say that? I knew you could.
Currently there are more vacant (that means empty) positions than applicants. So if you are not offering top tier benefits and pay as compared to other agencies, no worthy applicant is going to apply at your agency. All you will get are people who can’t get hired elsewhere, which is pretty much what GPD is getting right now. Take home cars are only one factor in a full gamut of benefits, but it’s an element that literally every agency in the piedmont triad area has, except for Greensboro. Having a take home car is not a magic pill, but NOT having a take home car as a benefit is a non starter for a savvy applicant since everyone else has them.
On the other hand, Burlington PD saw the issue and addressed it by creating a COMPLETE PACKAGE OF BENEFITS, to include take home cars, superlative pay, attractive leave earnings, insurance, etc. That complete package is top tier in the area, if not the state. As a result, Burlington PD now has ZERO vacancies, and many of their new hires are quality, seasoned officers that left GPD.
This is not complicated. Be the best and you’ll attract the best. Be average, and you’ll attract average. Be the bums of he state, and that’s who you’ll attract. Right now, GPD are the bums because City Council will not admit there is a problem.
If you still don’t get it, GSOman, imagine yourself looking for a policing job, and look at Greensboro. What are they offering that would attract you there right now as opposed to any other agency? (Here’s a hint: Nothing.)
Donny boy your head is so big and full of self righteous you can’t see when someone is pulling your short chain. You are almost as smart as Chris
Nah, you weren’t pulling anything. You just got called out for your usual worthless griping. You offer nothing, just like back in the day. Some things never change.
I don’t see anything in your Winston Salem PD question that anyone can take as a joke. Also you posted it almost word for word in two articles. It seemed like a legit question, which you posted to Don and Don gave you a legit answer. Now you want to call him names for it? That’s the joke. Time to move along, sir.
Cops are your friends and neighbors. ?they are not supermen or women. They have bills to pay, families to raise and the same problems you have. They enjoy the same things you do. The difference is they choose to do a job that puts them in harms way, the job of protecting their fellow man. Jobs many would not or could not do. When it becomes a thankless job they like anyone would question the worth in doing it. The old adage, when I have no worth to you, your worth to me diminishes. In short why should I work for someone who does not appreciate me.
Many communities, this one included take law enforcement or granted. If one of their rank makes a mistake many jump on it as an opportunity to paint all with the same brush. That is wrong and is an attitude that drives people way from serving. Being paid fairly is important. Respect from the people you serve is just as important. Until the leadership in the community changes its attitude toward law enforcement they may find themselves without the protection they take for granted.
Amen.
Does the GPD still have an ACTIVE RESERVE CORP. of Sworn personnel?
They do on paper but I can’t tell you the last time they actually utilized the program. A good friend of mine took an early retirement from GPD to tend to his side business full time. He submitted his paperwork for the reserve program over a year ago and was never contacted
No because “chief” scott got rid of them
It is going to take a lot more money than what Greensboro is paying now to get more young people to accept this job. Who wants to put up with constant criticism. half-truths and general badgering like officers have to deal with from the mainstream news media, inept politicians and various and sundry other Monday morning quarterbacks for paltry amounts of money? Who wants to bust their hind ends putting criminals behind bars only to have weak kneed judges and district attorneys turn the criminals loose before the ink is dry on the warrants? The list of reasons to avoid this job goes on and on. However, the ones who DO take this job; I admire them.
Tai J. gets a salary increase and you don’t pay police officers more. No wonder Greensboro has a shortage of officers. The priorities in Greensboro are way off!
If I were a business owner considering a move to NC, it would not be to Greensboro. Greensboro is a poorly run city with a city council not up to the task.
Greensboros compensation is not enough to recruit someone to go work at a big city that will be significantly busier than the surrounding cities. For that matter the smaller cities have a higher rate of compensation with less risk of being involved in a critical incident. Currently a new officer can make $9000 more to start their career with Burlington. Why would anyone join Greensboro?
Not only would I not join Greensboro, but also I would move to Burlington.
$9,000, take home car, and 2 “wellness” weeks in addition to regular vacation benefits. Plus no Greensboro City Council politics.
I have seen first-hand how GPD railroads good officers and keeps the bad ones. Other officers like me see this and say, why should I give it my all and more, when other officers lie and cheat. You report them and nothing happens to them except for a transfer or a promotion. This is one of the reasons I am leaving for another department. I wake up to go to work and ask, who is going to screw me over today