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GREENSBORO - It's like a car tune-up for city police leaders, if only to ensure that command staff fires on all cylinders.

Greensboro officers with a rank of captain or above will soon take part in a program meant to strengthen working relationships among those who run the department, officials said this week.

Each captain and assistant chief will sit in on a one-on-one interview with a facilitator to share what they perceive to be issues or concerns, both with the agency and with their own roles.

The facilitator will compile a list of observations, then hold a workshop with the full command staff to discuss common themes.

"There were some concerns, with what's been taking place in the police department, that there may be some ill feelings among commanders," said interim Chief Tim Bellamy. "It's not on trust-building, it's on team-building, and that commanders have to be the leaders that step up."

Bellamy, in an interview this week with the News & Record, said the idea for the workshop was brought to him by some of his captains and that he signed off on their proposal.

Specific details - including costs, time commitment and whom the facilitator will be - have not been completed , he said.

Bellamy declined to say why the workshop is needed now, though he added that at times in past years, "some people in this organization felt they were not included" in policy-making processes.

Two reports, one by an outside consultant and the other by city attorneys, last year outlined how under former chief David Wray, a few captains felt marginalized and ignored if they expressed disagreement with his decisions.

"The team needs some work," Bellamy said. "At some point there may have been some fragments. To have a team, you have to bring these fragments together."

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