news-record.com

What does a David Bowie song have to do with public safety in the Triad? Nothing really. But the Greensboro Police Department has made a few changes after a consultant's report pointed out inefficiencies.

Ryan's story today details initial actions taken by the police to improve on more than 200 recommendations made un Carroll Buracker's 2008 report. The police will make more improvements as money becomes available.

PROBLEM 1: Poor promotion process. Many ranks didn’t have a process for promotion. That could leave a perception of favoritism.

SOLUTION 1: The new promotion process evaluates candidates on written tests and multipart tests conducted by an agency that specializes in law enforcement assessment.

The process eliminated preferences made by superiors in promoting candidates, a flaw cited in the report.

PROBLEM 2: Inefficient patrol schedule. Schedules — patrol officers, detectives, and community resource officers’ schedules leave inadequate coverage during peak crime times and overstaff lower-crime weekday hours.

SOLUTION 2: The new patrol schedule, which is supposed to increase morale, moved officers to four days on, followed by four days off.

Previously, officers worked five days, with four days off. The number of hours didn’t change — but the length of the shifts did.

Future improvements Greensboro police will attempt to make:

• The addition 31 new positions to the department to raise it's overall effectiveness
• The construction of a new police headquarters and a new office to house all detectives
• The provision of take-home patrol cars

When was the last opportunity you had to dunk your police chief in gallons of water?

Don't remember?

Well, High Point residents will have a chance dunk Police Chief Jim Fealy at High Point's Community Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

There will also be music and free food for those who bring cans of food. Find more information here.

On a more serious note, High Point police will reveal the newest addition of its Memorial Guardian statue Friday.

They will unveil the statue at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the High Point Police Department at 1009 Leonard Ave. The statue honors those "who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their community," a press release states.

The 6-foot-tall bronze statue of a High Point police officer, built by Neil Brodin Studios of Minnesota, will complete the department’s Fallen Officer Memorial site.

The department unveiled one piece of the memorial on May 4.

The memorial project cost $70,000. Every penny was donated by the community.

The list of homicides in the city of Greensboro in 2009 has been updated. Instead of just a list and a link to the Google Map, the updated version includes both.

Click here to check it out.

Today's blotter:

I suppose if you are fast enough, you can get away with just about anything in Wellford S.C.

From The Associated Press:

SC mayor defends no-chase policy for police

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The mayor of a small South Carolina town says she banned her police officers from chasing suspects on foot after an officer was hurt running after a man.

Wellford Mayor Sallie Peake said Monday she issued the order in August after the city had to pay for an officer who missed work after chasing a "guy who had a piece of crack on him."

She said a drug possession charge was not worth the cost to taxpayers. But her written order said she did "not want anyone chasing any suspects whatsoever."

The decision came after two town-issued cars were totaled within a month, although her order applies only to foot chases.

When a local TV reporter asked about the policy, Peake would not answer and clapped her hands in mock praise that the reporter had found a story.

On Friday, more than 30 police recruits will graduate from the Greensboro Police Department’s Police Basic Introductory Course (PBIC). The graduation will be held at 10 a.m. at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown.

The featured speaker is Sgt. Dan Knott, who was injured in the line of duty several years ago. Other speakers include Assistant Police Chief Anita Holder and Mayor Yvonne Johnson.

Before recruits graduate, they must complete state law enforcement certificate requirements and undergo more than 1,100 hours of intensive law enforcement training – almost 500 more hours than the state requirement of 618.

Following graduation, the new officers will be assigned to various field operation divisions and will work with a police training officer for 14 weeks. Once they successfully complete that portion of their training, they can begin patrolling on their own.

Friday’s ceremony will mark the department’s 90th graduating class. The police department is now preparing for a new round of training, set to begin Oct. 16. Applications for the department are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information on applying, call 1-888-GPD-JOBS or visit the department's careers page.
 

Burlington police said a man took his 11-year-old son along when he stole a stove and a refrigerator from a vacant apartment. Is he vying for Father of the Year honors?

Here's the rest of the story:

Police said they were called to 2308 Morningside Drive at 3:30 p.m. Monday to investigate a break-in. Witnesses told police that two men in a red pickup drove off with a stove from a vacant apartment.

Police later found a red pickup heading north on Graham-Hopedale Road toward Graham. Three people were inside the truck, which had a refrigerator and stove in the back.

Police charged one of the men, Mareshah Omar Ellis, 32, of 633 Tucker St. with two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny after breaking and entering and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Ellis is being held in the Alamance County jail on an $80,000 bond.

Police said one of the people in the truck was Ellis' 11-year-old son. The third person, an adult man, was not arrested or charged. Police did not identify that man or Ellis' son.

Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose, as evident in California on Saturday:

LA JOLLA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a well-dressed elderly man carrying an oxygen tank has robbed a bank in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla.

San Diego police Sgt. Ray Battrick says the suspect on Saturday presented a note demanding money to a teller at the San Diego National Bank. He fled with an unknown amount of cash.

Battrick says it's unclear whether the suspect had a weapon.

The robber is described as a tall man in his 70s with white hair, a gray mustache and glasses. He was wearing a white beret, argyle sweater and brown sports jacket.

Battrick says the oxygen tank was in a black bag and connected to the man's nose with plastic tubing.
 

Though this blog is called ‘The Crime Scene,’ we aren’t going to leave out information about our other public safety agencies in the area. That includes the naming of the new deputy fire chief.

From a department news release:

Fire Chief Greg Grayson announced today the selection of Bobby W. Nugent to serve as Deputy Chief of the Emergency Services Division for the City of Greensboro Fire Department.

Nugent has served the Greensboro Fire Department for over 30 years,most recently as Interim Deputy Chief.

Nugent began his career with the Greensboro Fire Department as a
firefighter in 1979. Since joining the Department, he has held the rank of Fire Equipment Operator, Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, and has served as Safety Officer, Chief of Staff, Assistant Training Officer, and District Commander.

In addition to his fire experience, Nugent holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management & Ethics from John Wesley College, where he graduated with honors (Cum Laude). He also holds an Associate
degree in Fire Protection Technology from GTCC.

He is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy, and of the Executive Development program from the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs.

Nugent has been married for 32 years to his wife Carol. He has two grown sons. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

In announcing the promotion, Fire Chief Greg Grayson said “Chief Nugent has been a consistent and positive leader during his time as Interim Deputy Chief, and I am looking forward to his continued valuable contributions.”

Nugent, who will begin in his position immediately said, “I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to be a part of helping this Department attain great milestones, such as achieving ISO Class 1 status and becoming Nationally Accredited.

"I’m excited now about being able to continue helping this Department achieve its very best as we move towards the future.”

The News & Record reported last month that Kernersville named Kenneth Gamble its new police chief. Well, Gamble was officially sworn in Tuesday.

Gamble succeeds Chief Grady "Neal" Stockton, who has been with the department for more than — gasp — 33 years.

Gamble will be the first man in 40 years to be chief without bearing the last name of Stockton.

Grady "Neal" Stockton's father, Grady H. Stockton, became chief in 1968. A heart attack sidelined the elder Stockton in 1984, and the younger Stockton replaced him.

Now, let's get back to Gamble.

He began his career as a patrolman with the Kernersville police in 1993. After three years, Gamble was promoted to detective sergeant.

During his 10 years in the Criminal Investigations Division, Gamble developed programs for child abuse and domestic violence victims and redesigned the department’s policies and procedures for addressing domestic violence.

Gamble was promoted to lieutenant in 2006. He currently manages the School Resource Officer Unit, CALEA Accreditation Program, and Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T) grant.

Gamble is a 2004 graduate of Guilford College and holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology. He is working towards a master's in public administration at Appalachian State University.