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GREENSBORO - Marie Stamey knew David Wray as a police chief who was always responsive to her concerns about the Eastside Park neighborhood.

High Point police Chief Jim Fealy depicted Wray as a force in building regional connections in crime fighting.

Yet housing advocate Willena Cannon described a chief who never really had control of his department.

After months of controversy involving a "secret police" squad and irregularities in personnel matters, Wray resigned as police chief Monday. The move left a ripple of mixed responses.

Councilman Tom Phillips said there was little surprise in Wray's resignation.

"I kind of expected it ... just because of what's gone on," he said, referring to an ongoing investigation of the department. "I expected him to be gone."

Some community activists who worked with Wray praised him.

Stamey, president of the Eastside Park Neighborhood Association, said Wray was always accessible and responsive. His resignation will hurt the city, she said.

"He always gave me his honest opinion," said Stamey, who's known Wray since the mid- to late-1990s. "I knew I could always call on him at any time. He was never one to hide."

Mojgan Jordan, an executive board member and past president of the Glenwood Neighborhood Association, said Wray was easy to relate to.

"I really liked him," she said. "In every encounter I had, he's been very helpful and pleasant."

Jordan said Glenwood residents, who live south of Lee Street and west of downtown, would like to see officers return to regular shifts.

The neighborhood is revitalizing and becoming one of the most diverse places in the city after years of street drug sales. Residents have worked with police on the neighborhood's most troubled areas.

A year ago, Wray began scheduling officers so their start times changed every 16 days. But that meant residents didn't know which officers they should deal with, Jordan said.

"Improvements were made, but a lot more could have been done," she said.

Cannon, an organizer for the Greensboro Housing Coalition and a community activist for more than four decades, said former Chief Robert White worked harder to form community ties and was more inclusive.

"To me, I would have tried to root out that secret police," she said. "I think since White left, it's become more racial, especially for black officers."

Cannon said Wray was "helpless" and unable to control some officers in the department.

"I didn't think he was strong enough," she said.

Fealy, who is a friend of Wray's, said the chief's side has yet to be told.

"The first rule of police work is that there's always two sides to every event," Fealy said.

Stamey said Wray's dedication to the department made it surprising he would resign.

"It had to be something really bad for him to make that decision," she said.

Some council members weren't surprised by Wray's resignation but hoped to rebuild morale and the department's image.

Councilwoman Sandy Carmany praised Wray for efforts that included his emphasis on community policing but was hopeful the move would resolve some problems within the police department.

"I hope it will bring some resolution to the unhappiness and the questions that have been raised in the police department," Carmany said.

Staff writers Eric Collins and Eric Swensen contributed to this story.

Contact Amy Dominell at 373-7091 or adominello@news-record.com