If slow and steady wins the race, the City of Greensboro has the race half won as far as take-home police cars go.
Greensboro is undeniably slow in providing take-home police cars, but it’s too early to make a call on the steady part.
On Thursday, July 6, the Greensboro Police Department announced that on Friday, July 7 at 10:15 a.m. 10 Greensboro police patrol officers would be assigned take-home police cars.
It’s been a long time coming, and since the Police Department needs 100 additional police vehicles to provide each patrol officer with a take-home car, there is still a long, long way to go.
The Greensboro City Council has been told for years that the Greensboro Police Department was the only law enforcement agency in the area that did not provide take-home cars for its patrol officers and that not providing take-home cars hurt recruitment efforts.
On Nov. 18, 2021, the Greensboro City Council voted to buy 20 additional police cars and to continue that for five years with the idea that in five years the city would be providing take-home police cars for all patrol officers.
However, it appears that was overly optimistic since it has taken the city over 18 months to get just 10 of those 20 cars authorized in 2021 into the hands of police officers.
Getting 10 take-home police cars on road is an accomplishment and according to the vote of the City Council in 2021, the city should now have 50 additional take-home police cars somewhere in the process.
Before the 2023-2024 fiscal year budget went into effect on July 1, the Police Department reportedly had 130 vacancies. However, the 2023-2024 budget overnight reduced that to only 90 vacancies by eliminating 40 sworn positions in the police budget.
The 2023-2024 budget also raised police starting salaries to $55,000 a year to get the Greensboro Police Department more in line with other law enforcement agencies in the state, and starting Friday, July 7, about 10 percent of Greensboro police patrol officers will have take-home cars.
Something is better than nothing?
Still unacceptable that this council is so irresponsible. Do think very hard on the next time you vote. You want the same miserable results you have received so far?
How hard can it be to hire and equip ENOUGH GPD officers? With all the hoopla with tax-payer funded bribes bringing businesses to Greensboro and County, it seems to me that those moving in would want police and fire protection.
Take home patrol cars are not only great for the officer but also great for the city. Take home cars are treated better when it’s assigned to one officer and it also saves time between shifts. And then there’s the added benefit to the city of more patrol cars being seen out in public. This benefit should be accelerated.
Unfortunately, many of the police cars will be taken home to the officer’s county residential home. Many do not live in the city to avoid paying city property tax.
I agree. I am an advocate for officers that live in the city of Greensboro getting priority for the trickling distribution of these cars.
Persuasive comment.
Well said.
Wow 10%.
The year is 2054. GPD finally gets its final take home car into service. Sadly, the agency also has 623 vacancies and has civilianized the other positions because city council never figured it out.
From the time George Floyd initiated the action that caused his death while in police custody cities all over the country have treated their police departments like a red headed step child. Greensboro is no exception.
Started here long before George Floyd. Greensboro PD has been red-headed for a long time. You might say Greensboro is the OG of PD disrespect.