I am all for the City Attorney and the Police Chief coming directly under the control of the City Council. At this time I would stop at that point! The Wray Fray and all the law suits we are now facing I sincerely do not believe would have happened if David Wray had had access to the City Council and permitted to give his side of the story. Even a few of the “contrary”** council members I feel sure would have had a different view of the situation if they could have heard from Wray. At the very least perhaps our Mayor would have some understanding of what a photo array book is and stop making an ass of herself insisting that “if there is a Black Book then there should be a White Book”.
I feel that the Citizens Review Board is not a good idea. Not in Greensboro at any rate because of the powerful political groups who are currently running the city and who will surely pack the board. The City Council will appoint the board members and with the membership as it is, and has been, I have no doubt at all that the seekers of the status quo will populate the Board. Roch Smith’s suggestion that Joe Guarino and Bubba offer themselves as possible members would be futile because their views are well known and in direct opposition to the PAC and Mederec controlled members of the Council. As these two powerful groups will continue to hold sway over our city and county governments for some time yet the Citizens Review Board would just be another front for them.
The City Council however being elected officials to whom the people have a direct line and can petition would I believe be able to do the best job overseeing the Police Chief and convincing him and/or giving him the power to rid the department of the bad cops who are now causing the problems. They would also have more influence in causing the Police Chief to impliment some of the suggestions made in the high priced evaluation of the GPD that we tax payers recently paid for. As it stands Mitch and Tim have just put it in a back drawer while paying the study some type of lip service and putting out meaningless memo’s about their fantasy progress from time to time.
At present the Police Chief is an employee of the City Manager and if he wants to keep his job he remains firmly stuck in the City Managers hip pocket. Timmy is no fool and he wants to retire as Greensboro’s Chief of Police.
If the Police Chief should have an independent thought or make an independent decision based on the best police rules and regulations the Chief’s decisions can be changed by the City Manager. Remember the Stacy Morton case when Morton slugged a hand cuffed prisoner and should have been fired immediately, but when Wray fired him Mitch rescinded the order? Stacy Morton is a Black officer. In the GPD, in fact in Greensboro/Guilford, Black is the operant teflon word. If a White officer had slugged a Black handcuffed prisoner as Morton did there would have been riots in the streets! Remember also there have been some police using deadly force that have failed the “sniff test” in my opinion. But only teflon Black Officers were involved.
I also feel that once the bad cops are removed from the police force the crime rate in Greensboro will go down. This is especially true for drug dealing and the drug running gangs. At present these rogue cops are, I believe, protecting the drug dealers. We can start of course with our most famous Lt. James Hinson. A drug dealer having a cop’s cell phone number on his phone, in his wall safe and on his bedside table and the cop is not involved with him?? Is anyone out there interested in a really nice bridge?
Next would of course be Julius Fulmer. This cop actually reeks, tho not quite as much as Hinson.
Then we can take a good look at the 40 officers now suing the City of Greensboro and David Wary for more of the bad cops. They are all on the list publisted in The Rhino; bad cops who have committed acts that should have gotten them fired if not actual jail time for their crimes are now suing the city for discrimination! As the saying goes, “Only in Greensboro!”
Wednesday night’s City Council meeting will be a must see unless the “City Council Behind Closed Doors Five” decide the issues are personnel matters. I like some others however feel the behind closed doors deal making has already been done and the decent police officers in Greensboro are going to find themselves subjected to the discrimination that will be be handed out by a PAC/Melderec controlled Police Review Board. And if this is the case absolutely nothing at all will be accomplished except to further convince the decent GPD officers to resign or retire, and any possible decent new officers to look outside of Greensboro when applying for a job. BB
**I hope you all appreciate my diplomacy in using “contrary” City Council members to describe: Robbie “Just throw Money at it “ Perkins, Little Zack Melvin, Mayor Yvonne “Floating in Outer Space” Johnson, Dr. Goldie “Dear Lord Put a Sock in Her Mouth” Wells, D. “If it is BLack it is Right come Hell or Highwater” Bellamy-Small and Sandra “Tip toeing thru the fill in the blank “ Anderson-Groat
I recall awhile back the idea of placing the GPD under the control of Sheriff Barnes was floating around. Great idea! Barnes will stand for no political interference in his command. BB
