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GREENSBORO - A leadership vacuum in a police department racked by scandal will deepen next month when an assistant chief resigns to take a position in Virginia.

The departure of Craig Hartley leaves one assistant chief in an agency of more than 500 officers: Tim Bellamy, who is also serving as interim police chief while the city searches for a permanent leader.

Hartley's departure comes as a captain under his supervision faces demotion for a botched promotional exam last spring.

Hartley's move to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services widens a leadership void that ruptured more than a year ago with the resignation of Chief David Wray, whose actions in office are under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Also off the force are two of Wray's top commanders: Deputy Chief Randall Brady, who retired with almost no notice in November 2005, and Assistant Chief Annie Stevenson, who left almost exactly one year later.

None of the vacancies have been filled. City leaders acknowledged this week that the void at the top has created lingering angst among some officers in the department, where promotions have stalled and some proposed policy changes have not been acted upon.

Bellamy doesn't intend to fill the jobs. The interim chief said he would rather a new chief have the opportunity to select his own commanders in April, after the city fills the position .

Meanwhile, police have dealt with sarcasm and occasional hostility from residents who may be more preoccupied with department turmoil than officers themselves. Several high-profile crimes ended with quick arrests in recent months, a sign that city officials think signifies a healthy, focused force.

"They know how to do their jobs, and they're not second-guessing themselves," City Manager Mitchell Johnson said. "The reason organizations do so well in emergencies is that upper management gets out of the way."

City leaders agree that the vacancies have a "cascading" effect on the lower ranks, notably as they relate to promotions. In contrast to the mobility of the civilian job market, a police sergeant, for example, cannot simply make a lateral move to a neighboring city. The sergeant likely would have to enter a new department as a patrol officer.

Councilwoman Sandy Carmany, whose son is a city police officer and whose husband retired from the department, said the main frustration she hears is that officers' careers are in limbo until the top command spots are filled.

"They don't even know who to send their requests (for promotions) to," Carmany said.

But the overall mood in the department, officials said, is one of relief in the wake of the Wray resignation. Mayor Keith Holliday said that, from his conversations with about two dozen officers, he felt Wray's departure had lifted "a heavy weight" off the ranks.

"Things were automatically boosted in terms of morale. A couple of them used the word ‘cleansing,' " Holliday said. "The more even-handedness is felt now."

Eddy Summers, head of the Greensboro Police Officers Association, a group that claims more than 400 members of the city agency, agreed with Holliday's assessment.

"Morale went up for a short period of time," the veteran K-9 officer said in a recent interview. Summers is the only officer contacted for this story who was willing to go on the record because of a gag order in place by the city. "It's kind of plateaued. I don't think it's where it needs to be."

One reason for that plateau is continued dissatisfaction with a rotating patrol schedule, which officers claim Wray had no interest in changing, despite the strain it placed on their family life and personal health. But that may change in the coming days, with Bellamy expected to make a decision on a possible schedule change.

Though many of the e-mails that Johnson receives about the chief search express respect for the department, he also fights a perception he said is created by The Rhinoceros Times. The weekly newspaper's series on the scandal - now in its 21st installment - perpetuates the idea of rampant "corruption" in the agency, Johnson said.

"I have fought that every time I've been in a public setting," Johnson said. "So you can imagine when you're an officer reading this week after week, every traffic stop, every person you question, hearing, ‘You guys are dirty,' and ‘Take care of your own problems.' "

City leaders seem to be keeping open the question of whether the next chief should be a department insider or outsider. Within the department, some think a fresh perspective is needed. Others dread the prospect of a "fixer" chief who will make sweeping changes in short order, as did Wray's predecessor, Robert White, who gained the nickname "Storm."

Johnson, who will have final say on the selection, strongly praises Bellamy's work as interim chief, which suggests he could have an inside track if he is a candidate. Bellamy isn't saying whether he applied for the position.

On the other hand, the city cast a wide net, twice extending the application deadline. Johnson did not say this action was a result of the department's troubles, nor did he deny it.

"We didn't hire a headhunter for nothing," he said. "We needed to go knock on some doors."

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

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