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Dealing with four Greensboro homicides from early Saturday to early Sunday was "taxing police resources across the city," the department stated in a press release.

Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes put it another way Monday: "This weekend, they were 10-100 a lot."

That meant Greensboro police had their hands full and needed help from the Sheriff's Office.

The two agencies, plus High Point police, have mutual aid agreements. When circumstances require, a Guilford 911 dispatcher can direct a sheriff's deputy to answer a call in Greensboro, or can send a city police officer into the county. The busy weekend in Greensboro produced several calls for his deputies, Barnes said.

The arrangement can be a lifesaver. When someone needs an officer right away, what uniform the officer wears isn't the top concern. How quickly he or she arrives is more important. So it makes sense for Guilford 911 to locate the nearest patrol car and move it to the emergency.

Neighboring agencies often support each other up, Greensboro police spokesman Lt. Brian Cheek said. UNCG officers helped with crowd control after shootings outside a West Lee Street bar early Sunday; Guilford deputies and state highway patrol troopers responded when a Greensboro officer was shot last month.

"I don't want people to think we depend on the sheriff's department routinely, and vice versa," Cheek said.

At the same time, the public should appreciate this level of cooperation.

One issue, however, is Greensboro's limited manpower. The city's police ranks remain significantly below allotted strength, raising the likelihood that outside help will be needed.

The problem increases as the city grows. Chief Tim Bellamy and Barnes have discussed the possibility of the Sheriff's Office continuing to cover the Cardinal community, under contract, after the 3,300-acre area to the city's northwest is annexed next year, adding 8,800 residents.

"I don't think that's completely workable" because of technical issues, City Manager Mitchell Johnson said Monday, but talks could produce "a partnership to allow us to help each other."

The idea sounds promising, especially if sheriff's deputies would end up answering calls there anyway.