news-record.com

GREENSBORO — A 16-week, $249,000 consultant’s study of the Greensboro Police Department identified a number of strengths and successes that have been overshadowed by public controversy and criticism the department has weathered for the past two years.

Despite the praise, consultant Carroll Buracker said the department needs a major restructuring, should add 79 new staff positions, and must improve its promotion practices, which he said contributed to racial tension.

Buracker also recommended shrinking the council-approved gang unit to eight officers.

The council commissioned the report after three years of tumult in the department after the resignation of police Chief Tim Bellamy’s predecessor, David Wray.

“I was struck here by the quality of your employees in the police department,” Buracker said. “They want to put some of these unpleasant things behind them. They are going to need your help to put that behind them.”

In his presentation to the City Council, Buracker identified the following areas for immediate improvement:

* Promotions — Buracker called the department’s promotion process “seriously flawed.” Many ranks don’t have a process for promotion. That could leave a perception of favoritism and Buracker said this is the cause of some racial tension in the department.

“Police officers don’t mind playing the game. They want to know what the rules and procedures are,” Buracker said.

* Schedules — patrol officers, detectives, and community resource officers’ schedules leave inadequate coverage during peak crime times and overstaff lower-crime weekday hours.

Buracker recommended returning to a schedule in which patrol officers work four days, then have four days off. He also recommended that detectives work evening and weekend shifts as part of their regular schedule.

* Organization — The consultant’s most detailed recommendations focused on how the department should reorganize to streamline operations.

Buracker said the department needed 79 additional positions, divided between 54 officers and 25 civilian staff.

The consultants found a lack of clerical support and civilian support positions impeded street-level officers, investigators and command staff’s ability to do a good job.

“Four assistant chiefs don’t have a dedicated secretary,” Buracker said.

City Manager Mitchell Johnson said the staffing issues come from years of cutting back budgets. It is easier to justify losing a secretary than a police officer, he said.

The gang unit, under Buracker’s recommendation, would be eight members – six detectives, a corporal and a sergeant.

Although Buracker said the 17-officer gang unit approved by the council earlier this year was “well-intended,” he said the statistics on the amount of gang activity in Greensboro do not support the need for that many gang officers.

“When you see a teenager with a tattoo, that doesn’t mean we have a gang member,” he said.

Buracker said that, overall, the department is solving more crimes than police departments in similar-size cities.

“You are good at catching crooks here,” he said. “That deserves a ribbon. That says a lot about Greensboro.”

After the meeting, Bellamy said nothing in the report surprised him, and the department independently started work on some of the issues.

“The biggest thing is the quality of people,” Bellamy said. “That’s the best thing about this agency.”

Assistant Chief Harold Scott, commander of the patrol bureau, didn’t immediately agree with Buracker’s advice to return to an old patrol schedule.

“No matter what his chart said, we can address community issues with the overlap we have,” Scott said. Before following the recommendation, “that’s really something we’ll have to look at,” he said.

Council members said they were pleased with the level of detail in the report and look forward to seeing how the police chief and the manager plan to implement some of Buracker’s suggestions. “It gives us confidence in what they are doing and we see room for improvement,” Councilwoman Goldie Wells said.

Contact Sonja Elmquist at 373-7090 or sonja.elmquist@news-record.com

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com