Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Greensboro Police Chief Says Violent Crime Trending Downward

Greensboro Police Chief Brian James told City Council that violent crime is trending downward, but poverty could stymie progress. Photo courtesy City of Greensboro.

Greensboro's top police official says that while violent crime in the city is on a downward trend, there is more work to be done.

Chief Brian James told the City Council on Thursday that Greensboro's violent crime statistics are lower than during the same period last year, defying national trends.

The News & Record reports James presented an array of positive statistics that include a reduction in overall violent crimes by 17 percent. He also said his department has seized more than double the number of illegal firearms than were picked up at this time a year ago.

But while the chief promoted social programs designed to address violent crime, he admitted that poverty is still the root cause of the problem.

That sentiment was underscored by Councilwoman Goldie Wells, who said crime maps reflect that Districts 1 and 2 in east Greensboro show “a legacy of neglect” when it comes to employment and education. 

Wells said the police department cannot take all the blame, and that it was up to City Council to target a multitude of contributing factors including poverty, inadequate housing, and insufficient internet access.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate