Police and openness
Today's lead editorial.
Why so many? Why so long?
Among eight internal investigations of possible misconduct by Greensboro police in the last two years, why has only one been completed and made its way through the courts?
Why do other cases appear perpetually stuck in limbo?
Stories in Sunday's News & Record by staff writers Taft Wireback and Sonja Elmquist raise pertinent questions about sluggish progress involving several pending internal investigations.
For instance, it took detectives two months to interview officers concerning a sexual assault alleged by a fellow, off-duty officer.
In fairness, part of the problem stemmed from an impasse with the officers' attorney over when and where to conduct interviews. But an investigation involving such serious charges, and based, at least in part, on the frailty of human memories, deserves more urgency than that.
Similarly, the department still has revealed little about the status of the case of Lt. James Hinson and another officer, who established a for-profit home for teenage girls without first consulting their superiors, per department rules.
The issue first arose in 2007 and the questions were as easy to address then as they are now: Either Hinson and the other officer, Sgt. Kevin Chandler, filed the required application for outside employment. Or they didn't.
Understandably the department does not want to compromise investigations, which can be sensitive and complex. And officers have a legal right to privacy and due process. But too many of these investigations take far too long and erode public faith in the department's openness and integrity.
Several possible solutions mentioned in Sunday's stories merit a closer look:
1. If the department is short of internal investigators, it should make the case for more.
2. The city should explore the possibility of hiring a "police auditor,"who would provide big-picture oversight of department-wide trends and issues.
3. The Complaint Review Committee, which handles citizen grievances against officers, needs to be better promoted to the public.
4. The internal disciplinary process might include a city administrator, as Charlotte does, to add a fresh voice and a community perspective.
Mayor Yvonne Johnson is right to want to hold off on major changes until an outside consultant evaluates the department. Similarly, critics should hold off on pronouncements of widespread corruption. Proportionally speaking, Greensboro has had no more or fewer internal investigations than Charlotte. And Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham all have seen their share of police misconduct cases.
But perception can become reality. In the aftermath of the resignation, under fire, of former Police Chief David Wray, the department has struggled to right itself and move forward.
It will need the public's trust and confidence to accomplish that.
Comments (7)
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As long as we have criminals with guns and badges and their boss excusing every illegal
action they under take, trust and confidence is out of the question.
Posted on February 28, 2008 9:30 AM
If establishing trust is the goal, why don't we talk about re-initiating the call for an independent Citizens Police Review Board that has subpoena power (a call that comes up at least every decade). Civilian oversight of the state's use of force is a democratic principle with a long history. Why shouldn't the City of Greensboro empower citizens to hold the GPD accountable, which would both renew trust and confidence in the GPD and protect citizens from over-exertion of policing.
Posted on February 28, 2008 12:27 PM
If establishing trust is the goal, why don't we talk about re-initiating the call for an independent Citizens Police Review Board that has subpoena power (a call that comes up at least every decade). Civilian oversight of the state's use of force is a democratic principle with a long history. Why shouldn't the City of Greensboro empower citizens to hold the GPD accountable, which would both renew trust and confidence in the GPD and protect citizens from over-exertion of policing.
Posted on February 28, 2008 12:28 PM
"Why shouldn't the City of Greensboro empower citizens to hold the GPD accountable....."
Wrong question, Mr. Lambelet.
The question that needs to be asked is "Why should we continue to allow our city government to refuse to empower our citizens to hold the city management and the GPD management accountable?"
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:01 PM
Hats off to not as dumb as you think said. I think that if their was a reform committee like that which the lacrosse players are asking for in their federal suit, then the truth would be able to come out. Justice delayed, is justice denied. Obviously one must ask why, like the lacrosse case none of the matters of corruption have not been turned over to the Attorney General of North Carolina to investigate. I would think that if I had been assaulted by on duty police officers as a police officer, and justice was still obstructed, since the courts are just as corrupt, as clearly documented by the chief district court judge, there should have been a criminal investigation by our state attorney general. Something stinks awful bad even living out of town. But when you consider that the courts allow corruption by the police department to obstruct the crimes of attorneys who represent the police officers since judges are controlled by one specific attorney involved in the corruption of the GPD. Are you all so blind that you have missed what I have spelled out for you, or is it that you have never been in the courts or read between the lines when the corruption was spelled out for you in the Rhino Times a year ago. As long as those who are officers of the law of allowed to perpetrate the very laws established to protect the public, then you will have circumvention of justice until the wood pile is set on fire and burned to the ground of the crimes and filth of corruption by its leaders and orchestrators of crime and corruption.
As you stated, as long as the GPD puts an officer back on the force who breeds corruption to the city and gets away with it at tax payers expense, then the same crimes will go on and on. There is nothing that the courts can do, except to punish the innocent. I think as well, that a monitored system of the GPD, the city council, as well as the police chief, and those attorneys who breed corruption on the city council under the direction of attorney Kitty Hatfield and her ex con partner of drug dealing in collusion with the chief district court judge who controls all attorneys and judges, then and only then will changes be put into effect. I certainly plan to ask for relief in my federal suit against the judges, attorneys, and city of Greensboro in my upcoming suit for monitoring and reforms of the whole legal and judicial system for premeditated police, legal, and judicial misconduct that has occurred over the last six years of another one of the most bone chilling cases in American history, all within the city of Greensboro. As long as my son is held hostage to such premeditated violence by officers of the law and public officials who have the authority to uphold justice and yet circumvent it instead, then I intend to do what none of you seem to allow to go on and on about and do nothing but continue to bitch and holler. My son's life is at stake by a system that is broken beyond repair. Why waste the money on outside investigations and audits. Better to save your money to pay for the legal expenses that are going to run into millions for the damages to me and my family and my son held hostage by a pedophile that involves the courts, attorneys, and the city of Greensboro Police Department's corruption and aiding and abetting fraud by extortion and then the aiding in obstructing a fraud investigation within the internal affairs department by detectives Brian James and James Fulmore and Lt. E. L. Cuthbertson all under the direction of chief Tim Bellamy. If you think your taxes are high now, wait until this summer. The crime is committed, so pay backs are hell and the case is a prima facie one by the conspirators own admissions and actions. Sit back and watch. Since no one wants to righten the wrong done, then their comes a time for the wheels of justice to turn and the process has now started. I'll do what none of you have done, and that is to remove those persons who have allowed such violence against my family and the life of my son currently held hostage to the ongoing abuse set in motion by attorney Kitty Hatfield using Joe Turner and the police department. There is no justice until they are removed and put behind bars. They are scum of the earth since they lowered themselves to the level of the filty that breeds on the police force currently. David Wray would never have allowed such violence, but then he was not appraised of what was going on behind his back under the direction of former chief Robert White at the direction of Kitty Hatfield and the abuse my son suffered while all the surrounding neighbors over the many years of this case, and particularly from August 1999 to the current date and time complain, but nothing is done when the police are called, because it would expose the crimes by my ex at 334 D Burlingate Drive at the direction of attorney Hatfield and Hatfield using chief district court judge Turner to aid and abet the financial fraud by extortion crime carried our by those judges under his reign of terror and the abuse of 50B Orders to allow the abuse that currently is inflicted upon my son and ignored by the Dept. of Social Stupidity also under the direction of Kitty Hatfield and the Mental Health Dept. to supply the killer psycho drugs used to destroy my son daily in overdoses in their lack of control as currently depicted in the news. What don't any of you understand is going on within the city of Greensboro and why there is no justice. I hold the black and white proof and am working on the injustice done to me and my family. I would protest the police department and city hall until the truth is forced so that the public can see the corruption that goes on and the lives destroyed by those who take an oath to uphold justice.
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:14 PM
Hats off to not as dumb as you think said. I think that if their was a reform committee like that which the lacrosse players are asking for in their federal suit, then the truth would be able to come out. Justice delayed, is justice denied. Obviously one must ask why, like the lacrosse case none of the matters of corruption have not been turned over to the Attorney General of North Carolina to investigate. I would think that if I had been assaulted by on duty police officers as a police officer, and justice was still obstructed, since the courts are just as corrupt, as clearly documented by the chief district court judge, there should have been a criminal investigation by our state attorney general. Something stinks awful bad even living out of town. But when you consider that the courts allow corruption by the police department to obstruct the crimes of attorneys who represent the police officers since judges are controlled by one specific attorney involved in the corruption of the GPD. Are you all so blind that you have missed what I have spelled out for you, or is it that you have never been in the courts or read between the lines when the corruption was spelled out for you in the Rhino Times a year ago. As long as those who are officers of the law of allowed to perpetrate the very laws established to protect the public, then you will have circumvention of justice until the wood pile is set on fire and burned to the ground of the crimes and filth of corruption by its leaders and orchestrators of crime and corruption.
As you stated, as long as the GPD puts an officer back on the force who breeds corruption to the city and gets away with it at tax payers expense, then the same crimes will go on and on. There is nothing that the courts can do, except to punish the innocent. I think as well, that a monitored system of the GPD, the city council, as well as the police chief, and those attorneys who breed corruption on the city council under the direction of attorney Kitty Hatfield and her ex con partner of drug dealing in collusion with the chief district court judge who controls all attorneys and judges, then and only then will changes be put into effect. I certainly plan to ask for relief in my federal suit against the judges, attorneys, and city of Greensboro in my upcoming suit for monitoring and reforms of the whole legal and judicial system for premeditated police, legal, and judicial misconduct that has occurred over the last six years of another one of the most bone chilling cases in American history, all within the city of Greensboro. As long as my son is held hostage to such premeditated violence by officers of the law and public officials who have the authority to uphold justice and yet circumvent it instead, then I intend to do what none of you seem to allow to go on and on about and do nothing but continue to bitch and holler. My son's life is at stake by a system that is broken beyond repair. Why waste the money on outside investigations and audits. Better to save your money to pay for the legal expenses that are going to run into millions for the damages to me and my family and my son held hostage by a pedophile that involves the courts, attorneys, and the city of Greensboro Police Department's corruption and aiding and abetting fraud by extortion and then the aiding in obstructing a fraud investigation within the internal affairs department by detectives Brian James and James Fulmore and Lt. E. L. Cuthbertson all under the direction of chief Tim Bellamy. If you think your taxes are high now, wait until this summer. The crime is committed, so pay backs are hell and the case is a prima facie one by the conspirators own admissions and actions. Sit back and watch. Since no one wants to righten the wrong done, then their comes a time for the wheels of justice to turn and the process has now started. I'll do what none of you have done, and that is to remove those persons who have allowed such violence against my family and the life of my son currently held hostage to the ongoing abuse set in motion by attorney Kitty Hatfield using Joe Turner and the police department. There is no justice until they are removed and put behind bars. They are scum of the earth since they lowered themselves to the level of the filty that breeds on the police force currently. David Wray would never have allowed such violence, but then he was not appraised of what was going on behind his back under the direction of former chief Robert White at the direction of Kitty Hatfield and the abuse my son suffered while all the surrounding neighbors over the many years of this case, and particularly from August 1999 to the current date and time complain, but nothing is done when the police are called, because it would expose the crimes by my ex at 334 D Burlingate Drive at the direction of attorney Hatfield and Hatfield using chief district court judge Turner to aid and abet the financial fraud by extortion crime carried our by those judges under his reign of terror and the abuse of 50B Orders to allow the abuse that currently is inflicted upon my son and ignored by the Dept. of Social Stupidity also under the direction of Kitty Hatfield and the Mental Health Dept. to supply the killer psycho drugs used to destroy my son daily in overdoses in their lack of control as currently depicted in the news. What don't any of you understand is going on within the city of Greensboro and why there is no justice. I hold the black and white proof and am working on the injustice done to me and my family. I would protest the police department and city hall until the truth is forced so that the public can see the corruption that goes on and the lives destroyed by those who take an oath to uphold justice.
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:15 PM
Just a few of the comments from concerned citizens on other blogs:
OK Citizens, it's obvious that we need to approve by referendum that our Law Enforcement become a Metropolitan Police Department under the direction of the ELECTED Sheriff for the entire County (City included ). B. J. will clean out this pile of corrupt horse shit! This type of Police organization is very effective for enforcement and for accountability to the citizens. How 'Bout it!
Jay Fulmore and Bobby Edwards character witnesses for drug dealers. Sheesh ! Assistant Chief Rodgers caught on TV boosting city property and goes unpunished.
North State membership is better than a license to lie, cheat and steal. The Black mafia rules !!
Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:07:00 PM
Anonymous said...
If you want a little more detail on Assistant Chief Rodgers...Go back to his rookie school days. He was one of a few in the class that had to be tutored by his classmates to pass the tests. His degree from A&T in Driver's Ed. did not help him in police school. The test to be assistant chief must be easier than rookie school.
This is true. I was there.
Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:46:00 PM
Anonymous said...
Is there any reason that a man (any man) who lies, cheats and steals should have ever advanced to Assistant Chief? These aren't accusations, they are the honest truth. Surprised...no Disgusted...yes!
Friday, February 29, 2008 8:27:00 AM
Anonymous said...
AMEN to that!, Just another testimony to the INSTITUTIONAL CORRUPTION fostered and winked at by Mitch Johnson and Tim Bellamy. How about it Madam Mayor? Are you going to correct it or be part of it?????
Posted on February 29, 2008 4:43 PM