Contact: Anthony Wade
Phone: 336-373-2038

Committee Provides Appropriate Oversight of Complaints

GREENSBORO, NC – (July 6, 2010) – What can you do if you feel you have been treated improperly by a City of Greensboro police officer? Since 2005, residents have turned to the City’s Complaint Review Committee and have had the situations heard, investigated and acted on.

Eighty cases have so far been brought before the seven-member committee, which is part of the City’s Human Relations Commission (HRC). Of those 80 cases, 57 have been investigated and closed. In 51 of the closed cases, the police officers involved were cleared of allegations. Seven of those 51 cases resulted in various training or other recommendations for the officers. Of the remaining six resolved cases, four resulted in the officers involved charged with various violations. The two remaining resolved cases were dismissed due to lack of cooperation by the complainant.

Twenty-three cases of the 80 filed with CRC are still open and under investigation. The CRC, designed to operate as an independent agency, consists of residents representing each of the five City Council districts and two additional city residents.

“The City encourages people who believe they have a valid grievance to file a report with the CRC,” said Anthony Wade, director of the City’s Human Relations Department. “Only by knowing about these incidents, can we properly investigate and take the appropriate action to address them.”

When a complaint is filed, it’s assigned to an investigator in the Police Department’s Division of Professional Standards or the appropriate supervisor in the officer’s chain of command for investigation. All information is then submitted to the CRC to determine if all allegations were adequately addressed. If so, the case if closed, but if not, the CRC may request more information or further investigation, meet with the complainant to clarify issues and/or have a conference with the Chief of Police. If issues still remain unresolved, the CRC may appeal to the City Manager for a final decision.

To review case statistics or for more information about how the CRC functions, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/Relations/complaint/. In August 2009, City Council approved a new model for the CRC and that information is also on the website.

“Law enforcement has some of the greatest challenges any professional faces,” says Michael Speedling, assistant city manager for public safety and human resources. “Officers must enforce the law in a fair and impartial manner, protecting the rights of all parties involved, in situations that are often dangerous and complex. But the CRC helps ensure we perform our jobs in accordance with the City’s and department’s rules and regulations.”

“CRC’s function must be and is a vibrant and transparent process in order to maintain the confidence of the public,” Speedling adds.

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The City of Greensboro works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 373-CITY (2489).