The drive-by shooting at Cornwallis Drive and Elmwood Drive on Saturday night, Feb. 13, may turn out to be a fortunate event for the Greensboro Police Department.
At the Tuesday, Feb. 16 City Council meeting, Mayor Nancy Vaughan said the shooting in which one man was injured, “Brings to everyone’s consciousness the importance of policing and the importance of quick response.”
It evidently brought crime issues to Vaughan’s consciousness because she noted that the Greensboro Police Department has vacancies, something Police Chief Brian James pointed out at the City Council work session on violent crime in December. In fact, James noted that at that time the Police Department had 612 sworn trained officers when they were budgeted for 674.
Vaughan noted that most police departments in the area have take home cars, another point that was made in December, and that salaries were higher in other cities. She said that the Greensboro starting salary is $38,900 while Raleigh pays $41,000, Winston-Salem pays $43,400 and Charlotte pays $45,000.
She said, “We are going to have to make some significant changes when it comes to salaries.”
She said, “We support our Police Department and we have funded our Police Department.”
District 3 City Councilmember Justin Outling, who is running against Vaughan for mayor, didn’t let the opportunity pass to put Vaughan’s revelation about violent crime in perspective. Outling noted that in 2019 Greensboro set a new record for homicides, then set a new record with 61 in 2020, and that the city was currently on track to break that record.
He said, “We need to meet regularly at least monthly on crime and public safety as well as economic development and jobs.”
Outling noted that at the council’s first work session on violent crime in March last year he asked about the police staffing study the chief had requested. He said at the second work session of the year on violent crime in December 2020 he again asked about the study and discovered that it had not been started.
Outling noted that while the City Council says that it supports the police, the majority of the City Council in 2020 voted to turn down a federal grant that would have provided needed funding for the Police Department.
Vaughan voted to turn down the federal grant and Outling voted to accept it.
Outling said, “What happened in Irving Park is only a reiteration of what has been happening in our city for the past two years.”
In all fairness, didn’t Michelle Kennedy push to move funding away from the department via “8 Can’t Wait” and weren’t resources further strained after decoupling from Guilford County school resource officer program?
If one wants to go even further back, didn’t we model our crime reduction program after a failed crime reduction program from Durham vs some of the more successful ones around the state?
It is more than a lack of meetings that brought us here.
Shooting crosses the tracks onto Cornwallis and suddenly nanny Nancy gets “woke” up wow that’s a shocker she’s about as useful as Pelosi is. They could switch places and no one would know the difference
Yeah. Like the opioid epidemic.
Like the commercial says ” bring it home ” .
Guess she’s now getting the message ..huh
Where have you been Mayor Vaughan…. this has been going on for awhile, but it’s taken you this long to recognize the problem. Wake up !!!
First, its amazing how video, taped meetings and news seem to always have what an individual in politics has said on a subject and how often the person has conveniently forgotten what they said or how they acted. Lady Mayor, we have these very things and YOU were NOT in the police’s corner. You have done a lot of damage to our police department, which in turn, has been a major cause of the shortage of officers. Yes, cars and especially larger salaries would be a fantastic start, but as important to our men in blue is to know that our elected people have their backs. You cannot come out now, in an election year, and BACK our women/men in blue with the expectation that all is forgotten. When you were MOST needed, hands were washed. Shame on you and the council. The city will vote, hopefully they will be honest with themselves.
Here here!
She only pays attention when it hits close to home!!! Go Justin!!!
Correct!
Well well well….sure is different when the problem starts the effect YOUR life huh Nancy? Took you long enough.
Wow, what city has Ms Vaughn been living in the last two years, over 60 homicides in GS0 last year. It’s time for her too go..
Right on!
Wake up Greensboro liberal Nancy and the city council are the problem. Its time for new leaders and give gpd what they need
Nancy, we heard your voice in 2020, so now, please, just stop.
Nancy you and council are anti- police! You and your council would rather GIVE money to councilwoman Johnson than provide and support our police department! You have NOT funded or supported our police department. Mayor Vaughan,CouncilwomenJohnson, Wells, Kennedy and Thurm have personal agendas. You lie to the citizens of Greensboro about supporting our police department while given our tax dollars to a proven failed program-“Cure for Violence “. Want to lower crime, hire more police, flood the High crime areas. The years have shown those on the High crime areas would rather protect those who are committing these crimes than assist the police department. Time has come for the police department and the high crime areas to work together. Yes trust is earned not given. We all must work together. To many people are dying at the hands of our city council. Justin is running for Mayor- time to hear from you on how you plan to provide the police department with support and funding! Spineless mayor and council- demand the money back from councilwoman Johnson, if she has not spent it already on personal items. Where is the accountability?
Hear, here!!!
She said that the Greensboro starting salary is $38,900 while Raleigh pays $41,000, Winston-Salem pays $43,400 and Charlotte pays $45,000
She said, “We support our Police Department and we have funded our Police Department.”
Anything else you want to say Nancy?
Concerned now? What a joke you are. Enjoy your last days of power.
WHAT……Nancy, did it take a rich friend almost getting killed for you to realize there is a crime problem in Greensboro? I guess you just thought it was for Black Greensboro! Wake up Nancy, there are no lines in Greensboro. Crime is everywhere. All lives matter! OH, not I get it! You just announced you are running again, realized you had lost the white vote and now you want to kiss and make up. It’s too late! Go Justin!
Wow, what city has Ms Vaughn been living in the last two years, over 60 homicides in GS0 last year. It’s time for her too go..
Nancy’s too worried about kissing Cooper’s behind, and enforcing a bunch of unconstitutional lockdown mandates, than she is about being the murder capitol of NC.
…until someone gets shot in Irving Park!!! “Stop the presses, we need to look into this whole crime thing now!!!”
What a useless POS!
Following in the steps of wishy washy Schmoe Biden. Say anything to get elected. Then screw over the Electorate, because they have a very limited memory and attention span. Just say no to Nancy!
One issue that needs examination is the numbers of officers leaving GPD. Admittedly, there was an exodus before Chief James. However, the officers have no faith in their disciplinary system. We can all agree bad cops need to go, but surrounding agencies have a large number of EX-GPD officers, many of whom were terminated for petty reasons. I am not sure how you could track this down other than perhaps a number of public records requests. But this is fact. Greensboro trains them, we pay,!people are fired for next to nothing and thankfully snapped up by adjacent agencies. If you look into this you will find out I am correct. Thus before we attribute short staffing to take home cars perhaps we should look at the quality officers forced to leave, many whom are veteran officers.
all NV has done is fund Yvonne Johnson’s “Snitch about Violence” program to the tune of over $300K. Line your fellow council woman’s pockets while taking money away from the police department. UGH! Go Justine!