GREENSBORO, N.C. — Six months into his new leadership role, Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson has shown his community he doesn't "talk the talk." He "walks the walk," (quite literally... he'll patrol traffic when staffing is tight) all in an effort to promote peace, ensure safety and change an entire culture and perception of policing.
He joined the WFMY News 2 Good Morning Show to reflect on mid-year achievements, ongoing challenges, and, most importantly, action items with short-term solutions.
VIOLENT CRIME
In the 12 hours before Thompson's interview, his officers had responded to two shootings injuring six people, one of whom later died.
The crimes further emphasized that his department reports a surge in violent crime from this time last year.
The trend is the reason Thompson announced, in early July, the formation of a "violent crime reduction team."
Doing so, he said, involves reallocating resources in a multi-faceted plan.
"We have devoted three additional squads to try to address violent crime. Those squads are geographically placed in areas where, historically, we have seen violent crime occur. Our hope is they’ll be in the area and be able to intervene prior to these crimes occurring," he explained.
New GPD data shows homicides increased 77% year-to-date. The statistics also clarified previous reporting about sexual assault trends. Though non-forcible sexual assaults (involving people who cannot legally consent due to mental disabilities) increased by 75%, reported rapes declined year-to-date.
HIRING WOES
Thompson's plan to reshuffle to further tackle violence requires manpower -- an asset that, nationwide, law enforcement agencies are largely lacking.
"We’ve tried to change our internal culture so folks will be attracted to come to the Greensboro Police Dept., and I think we’ve taken a number of steps to do that," he said.
In May, Thompson said his department had more than 100 officer openings to fill. Since then, the Greensboro City Council approved increasing starting pay for new hires (from $46,000 to $55,000) and gave raises across the board to current officers.
"When our city council and city manager supported the pay raises, that let people know -- the community -- our elected officials value officers. We’ve seen an uptick in applications and interest in the police department, and we’re hoping to sit a 30– to potentially-40-member police academy starting in September, which is one of the largest classes we’ve had in a few years," he said.
CIVILIAN CRASH RESPONSE TEAM
In the short-term, Thompson has had to 'think outside of the box' to get more eyes on the community's needs.
Earlier this summer, the department announced a plan to form a five-person civilian crash investigation team, who responds (without officers) to minor, non-injury traffic crashes and takes the reports. A new state law, H.B. 140, allows the formation of such a team, which Burlington already has implemented, and High Point intends to try, too.
Thompson said he hasn't started hiring for the five positions, which won't require any law enforcement experience.
"What we’re looking for in crash investigators is somebody with a customer service mindset. Somebody that can go out, complete a report, engage with citizens, hear their concerns, and be able to provide them information for next steps," he said.
He further explained these investigators won't need to carry a gun, know how to drive a patrol car or meet the physical fitness standards required of sworn officers. The state Justice Dept. is providing training, and GPD will teach that training -- including local laws and ordinances -- before allowing the civilians to respond. Thompson said he hopes to open applications in August.