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GREENSBORO — City Council members privately viewed on Tuesday night a copy of the infamous "black book," a photo lineup containing pictures of several black male police officers.

Should everyone move on, as one council member suggests? Or is there something missing? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

Members said they can't elaborate on the contents, saying it could jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation connected to two former Greensboro police officers.

But they would say this much: The book is real.

"There was so much talk about the 'black book,' and all of the sudden it's in your lap," said Councilman Zack Matheny . "Wow, here it is. It exists."

Matheny said he looked at the book — just briefly, though, because "it's kind of a dirty feeling."

The council viewed a copy of the book behind closed doors, during a meeting with attorneys. Members said they viewed about 19 pages of pictures of African American men, unaccompanied by any explanations or statements.

For two years, the book has been part of the controversy surrounding the departure of former police Chief David Wray .

Internal investigators have said the book was shown to prostitutes and drug dealers across the county in an effort to get information on any officers who might be engaging in illegal activities.

Wray has denied that claim. Some of his defenders have doubted the book's existence or have questioned its purpose.

Until Tuesday, council members had not seen the book, though several — Mayor Yvonne Johnson , Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade among them — had requested to see it.

In an e-mail sent to the council's attorney Monday , Senior Deputy Attorney General Jim Coman said that wasn't a good idea.

He wrote: "I declined to make the 'black book' available because the original is in the possession of the SBI and is intended to be used as evidence at the criminal trial of at least one of the defendants."

Calls to Coman on Wednesday were referred to spokesmen for the attorney general's office, who did not make him available or provide answers to questions about the case. However, Coman was presumably talking about the criminal trials of either former Special Intelligence Sgt. Tom Fox or former Detective Scott Sanders . They face charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Sanders also is charged with hacking into a computer issued to another local officer by the federal government.

It's unclear how the council was able to view the copy Tuesday night.

Coman wrote that the situation "is proof of how difficult it is to protect the rights of the accused and to keep the city leaders and the public informed."

Johnson said she hopes Coman's letter proves that City Manager Mitchell Johnson and retired City Attorney Linda Mile s were being honest when they said they had been asked by prosecutors not to release the book.

"Some people thought they were lying," Yvonne Johnson said.

Rakestraw said she recently had a 90-minute telephone conversation with Coman, during which time she lobbied him to let the board and the public see the book.

A day after taking a look at it, Rakestraw said she still has questions. "I still feel that something is missing," she said. "I can't put my finger on it."

Councilman Mike Barber said the book is "not particularly titillating." He said the community should stop focusing on the racial aspects and leave the issue in the past.

"The city of Greensboro will become the great city it can be if there is never another discussion that is predicated on race," he said.



Staff writer Taft Wireback contributed to this report.

Contact Margaret Moffett Banks at 373-7031 or margaret.banks@news-record.com