The last two divisions of the City’s recently formed Office of Community Safety (OCS) are now in place. Mary Houser has been hired as case coordinator for the Law Enforcement Assistant Diversion (LEAD) team and Arthur Durham has been placed in the roll of violence prevention coordinator.

Both Houser and Durham are in the process of developing their respective team’s programs. LEAD and Violence Prevention join Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission (GCJAC) and Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT) as the four divisions of OCS, which was created in September 2022.

The goal of LEAD, which will operate in conjunction with the Greensboro Police Department, provides officers the opportunity to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and instead provide them access to community resources that can enhance their quality of life.

LEAD is expected to be in operation by June.

Since 2013, Houser has been a juvenile court counselor in Winston-Salem. Prior to that, she was a care manager for Partnership for a Drug Free NC in Greensboro. She has more than 20 years of experience in family therapy and substance abuse prevention.

The goal of Violence Prevention is to work with violence interruption groups throughout the city to development action plans centered on encouraging neighborhood participation and engagement in violent crime reduction.

Violence Prevention is expected to be fully operational by January 2024.

Durham most recently consulted with the Gate City Coalition Anti-Gun Violence Program in Greensboro on strategies for anti-gun violence and community building.

From 2015-18, he worked in New York City as a program supervisor creating workshops relating to de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution, and developed relationships with local police, faith leaders, and community stakeholders for Street Corner Resources/Speak Peace Forward and Rock Safe Streets in Queens.

He also worked as a national trainer for the model Cure Violence and is certified by the NYC Department of Health.