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GREENSBORO - A confidential report on former police Chief David Wray's administration was tainted by a City Hall "agenda," Wray's lawyers said Friday.

After an article appeared in the News & Record about a confidential report that alleged harsher discipline for black officers and an atmosphere of intimidation under the former chief, his attorneys demanded release of the report.

"Until I get a copy of the report, I am in no position to do anything but speculate," attorney Locke Clifford said in a news conference.

At City Hall, a brief news release stated that neither the city manager nor the City Council authorized the report's release.

Officials maintained that "all reports related to this investigation so far contain confidential information protected by the Personnel Privacy Act and are critical to the ongoing investigation by the Greensboro Police Department."

Amid allegations that the police department unfairly targeted its own officers for criminal investigation, 42 of the roughly 100 African American officers in the department are now represented by a law firm seeking discussions with the city.

Attorneys for these officers, many of whom have been interviewed in an FBI inquiry into possible civil rights violations, called for more information to be made public.

Attorney Jason Knight said the specifics reported from the Risk Management Associates investigation vindicated "what our clients have been telling us for months."

Ken Free, another attorney representing the officers, said that so far city officials expressed no desire to meet with their clients.

"They don't want to talk about it," Free said. "We want to make this better. It can't get better if we don't talk about it."

Speaking on behalf of Wray, Clifford questioned the objectivity of the RMA investigation and said he hoped the FBI would be able to "see through the agenda" in the RMA report.

Clifford suggested that the leaking of the report had violated the state employees' Personnel Privacy Act. But he also criticized as "hypocritical"

the News & Record's refusal to provide lawyers for Wray

a copy of the RMA report or post it on the newspaper's Web site.

Editor John Robinson responded Friday that the newspaper had a duty to honor the source's request not to distribute copies of the report.

As for the roughly 550 sworn officers who continue to work at the department, an attorney representing the Greensboro Police Officers Association said that with the appointment of interim Chief Tim Bellamy, morale had improved dramatically.

Less than a year ago, a survey by the quasi-union suggested that the rank and file were disillusioned by Wray's management style and his adoption of rotating shifts.

"The atmosphere over there is markedly changed, upbeat," attorney William Hill said.

The 20-year veteran K-9 officer who heads the association, Eddy Summers, said no matter how distracting the situation had been for the leadership of the department, officers have continued doing their jobs.

"Prior to interim Chief Bellamy being sworn in, some of the stuff that came down, the guys just took it," Summers said.

"They're still going to do the work and answer the calls, no matter what."

Contact Eric J.S. Townsend at 373-7008 or etownsend@news-record.com

Contact Lorraine Ahearn at 373-7334 or lahearn@news-record.com