The new Greensboro Council has ordered City Manager Mitchell Johnson to find $500,000 to pay for increased police patrols. The N&R reports that the money will be used to pay overtime for officers and detectives and fill empty slots within the robbery unit.
Interesting that another angle on Greensboro’s crime problem came to light during yesterday’s emergency council meeting:
Money will help, police officials said. But it’s not their only obstacle. Among those problems mentioned Tuesday:
…Failure to shut down businesses with histories of serious crime.
Through nuisance-abatement lawsuits, governments can close problem businesses. Previous district attorneys have pursued the strategy, but police officials said Tuesday that Guilford County District Attorney Doug Henderson has declined to do so.
The police officials on Tuesday cited as examples Studio 508 on Teague Street and Lost Dimensions on Farragut Street, nightclubs where violent crimes have recently taken place. Bellamy and other police leaders told the council that Henderson declined to pursue the cases, saying it was the responsibility of the city’s legal department.
Guarino says the “action by the city council to grant (Police Chief Tim) Bellamy his request potentially short circuits any legitimate attempt to examine internal operations and use of resources in a systematic way within the department.”
That kind of falls in line with my gut reaction, that $500,000 seems like a lot of money to pay for overtime and fill empty slots. But I’m no expert.
