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The City Council said it subjected itself to lie-detector tests last week to preserve the integrity of confidential personnel information and trust among council members.

But some believe that the council might not be doing the community any favors with the testing, intended to show whether any council member leaked a report about alleged misconduct within the police department that was obtained by the News & Record.

Two former council members said they believe the council's lie-detection effort last week was an unwise distraction. And a sampling of public opinion last week suggests residents feel the same way.

"I think it's hard to govern by polygraph," said former Councilman Robbie Perkins, who left office in December after 12 years. "I understand confidentiality and the issue of leaking critical information. But at this point, I think polygraphs are more of a distraction than they are helpful."

Earl Jones, who served 18 years on the council and now is a state representative, said the polygraph exams are a side show displaying a lack of "bold, strong leadership."

"When things are going good, it's easy for the mayor and council to look good," Jones said. "But these are the kind of times that will test the character and strength of leadership, and Mayor (Keith) Holliday and the council are failing miserably."

The controversy within Greensboro's police department had been simmering for months but gained traction late last year as a private consulting firm finished a report commissioned by the city to delve into alleged irregularities involving then police Chief David Wray.

The report alleged administrative bias against black officers and led Wray to resign in January. More recently, allegations emerged that some residents, including black leaders, were secretly recorded by police personnel, for reasons that are unclear.

After the report was leaked, the council sought to establish that no board member had released it. Eight of nine agreed to sign an affidavit and take lie detector tests.

Council woman Dianne Bellamy-Small refused, saying her word that she did not leak the report should suffice. But two council members said last week that they suspect her because of her refusal.

Holliday and the other seven council members released a statement Friday saying they all passed the polygraph and declining to comment further.

The council and city administrators have said they want to disclose as much as possible about problems in the police department and who was responsible for them. But they are constrained, at least for the time being, by the need to keep quiet while internal and FBI investigations proceed, they have said.

Holliday said last month that he didn't think the reputations of the city or the council would be damaged by the polygraphs.

But Jones said the police controversy could have been prevented if city government had followed a recommendation he made repeatedly during his tenure : oversight of the department by a citizen review board with subpoena power to compel testimony.

The council also should require racial sensitivity training for police, he said. And the council, particularly Holliday, should be meeting with the public to talk about racial issues that seem central to what's known about the controversy so far, Jones said.

Perkins was unwilling to criticize the council's handling of the controversy, saying that he did not want to be a "Monday-morning quarterback."

Perkins said it is very easy to second guess, but it's dangerous to do so without knowing all the information council members have received in executive session. They are sworn to keep such information under wraps at least until investigations are complete.

But Perkins said Greensboro's future harmony and its success at economic development could suffer if the public perceives "something less than full disclosure."

"If the issue is articulated to the public with full disclosure and changes are made, then it becomes a non-factor," Perkins said about the controversy.

The potential impact on Greensboro's well-being was underscored last week when an elite business group, the Greensboro Partnership, issued a statement deploring the alleged racial profiling and secret surveillance in the police department. It called on the council to "deal with this issue, make appropriate corrections and move our community forward."

The message was, "Look, we understand you're in a difficult situation. We stand behind you," said Jim Melvin, a leader in the group and former mayor.

But if the council is feeling sure of its leadership in the continuing controversy, it might want to look out in the community. A substantial majority of 38 people who responded to a question about the overall controversy in a News & Record survey disagreed with some of the council's actions.

Twenty-two of 25 respondents who mentioned the council's polygraph testing questioned its value. The survey, which was not a scientific sampling, was sent to 407 members of the paper's Reader Advisory Network.

"Who cares who leaked what? If the charges (in the report) are founded in truth, we should know about it and take action," said Greensboro resident Laura Kruse.

"It is a travesty that the city leaders (council) think that this is secret information and the lie detectors are warranted," said Greensboro resident Peter Peiffer.

"The lie detector episode is embarrassing to us all and makes the council look untrustworthy and fractious to outsiders," said respondent Keith Hoile.

Respondent Saundra Adams said the whole police controversy reflects poorly on the city's "undertones of racial issues that many have denied. This adds to the concerns about racial divide."

Three of those who responded to the survey supported the council's use of polygraph examiners.

"The city council and the city manager's office had taken a firm position that the report would not be released because of personnel confidentiality," said Greensboro resident Joe Guarino.

Former council member Bob Mays saw both sides of the issue. He said that while "we can laugh at the polygraphs" as perhaps being an unnecessarily drastic measure, the trust they aim to reinforce is crucial among council members.

"You have to trust each other," he said, "or the whole process breaks down."

Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or twireback@news-record.com