Perkins supports 'cultural audit' of GPD, but not a DOJ investigation

UPDATE: Some people report being confused by this post. I'm happy to take questions in the comment thread here, or over the phone. You can reach me at 336.316.1231.

ORIGINAL POST: Greensboro City Manager Rashad Young is exploring the possibility of having a cultural audit performed on the police department, at-large Councilman Robbie Perkins says, adding that the audit would “take a look at the interaction and action of the various employees, make sure people are communicating, being treated fairly, and if they’re not being treated fairly, find out why.”

Perkins dismissed the notion of requesting an outside investigation of the department by the US Justice Department, a course of action called for by the state NAACP. Perkins said in an interview yesterday that he approached the city manager after speaking with the Rev. Cardes Brown, the president of the Greensboro NAACP.

“I asked him whether he thought it was the right thing,” Perkins said. “He said it wasn’t warranted and he wouldn’t recommend it. I think the manager and the police can run the department, and we don’t need the feds to come in.”

Meanwhile, Brown said during the monthly meeting of the Greensboro NAACP yesterday that both Perkins and District 2 Councilman Jim Kee told him they planned to ask Young “to ask for an investigation by the Justice Department,” adding that he was told that the two council members thought they could get five votes to compel the city manager to request federal intervention.

The city council meets on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., and Brown asked NAACP members to “flood Robbie’s e-mail, and Jim Kee’s, and can they not argue with the others that they can likely get to get that five-to-four vote.”

Skip Alston, who chairs the Guilford County Commission and who is the former state president of the NAACP, leant his support, as did Carolyn Coleman, a fellow county commissioner who serves as secretary of the national board of the NAACP.

“They need to ask for an investigation,” Alston said. “And if there isn’t [a culture of corruption], then there’s no problem. As elected officials we need to hold them accountable to find out whether it is or it ain’t.”

Coleman urged members to lobby the two black members of council, Kee and District 1 Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small, notwithstanding that Brown said Bellamy-Small indicated she didn’t like his attitude and wouldn’t talk to him. “And if they don’t,” Coleman said, “then we know what to do in the next election.”

Brown seemed to suggest he would stake his reputation on there being a culture of corruption in the department.

“The same person [Assistant Chief Dwight Crotts] who reevaluated Capt. [Charles] Cherry is now going to be made the interim chief,” Brown said. “Word on the street is that there are two being considered for chief and one of them is [Assistant Chief] Anita Holder. Anita Holder sent a squad car when [Officer AJ Blake] was out there watching us getting arrested on the other side of the street. She said, ‘I should suspend you right now because you’re hanging out with criminals.’ All the criminals were up there in the department. She sent him home. Based on a civil rights law, that constituted kidnapping. He was unarmed. Two officers drove up, ordered him in the car, took him up to her office. She told him to go home or be fired. It’s a violation of his civil rights. He was off duty, wasn’t supposed to return for two or three days. But you can do that when you don’t have any checks and balances.”

Blake has recently been suspended without pay and recommended for termination.

Cherry and Blake, who are both plaintiffs along with 37 other black officers in a federal racial discrimination lawsuit, sat near the front of the meeting, stood to be recognized and received applause from those in attendance. A third plaintiff, Officer JL Pryor, was also recognized at the meeting. All three officers have filed grievances, and Cherry has helped the other two with their grievances.

The three officers did not speak publicly, but Cherry handed Brown a sheaf of papers, which included multiple copies of a letter written by Cherry’s personal psychologist to Chief Tim Bellamy, and an e-mail sent by Cherry to officers in the Eastern Division patrol command explaining why he has been placed on administrative duty pending fitness-for-duty evaluation. The materials were later distributed among those attending the meeting. The psychologist’s name is redacted.

“It is unusual for individuals presenting with the issues noted by Captain Cherry to seek mental health interventions,” the letter reads. “He is typical of a well-functioning, non-disturbed individual who is not in mental health treatment.

“I am aware that Captain Cherry has submitted several grievances to appropriate departmental personnel. These submittals appear to be reasonable reactions to identifiable challenges in the work environment.

“It is my professional opinion that Captain Cherry is mentally fit for duty and is capable of exercising independent judgment, recognizing parameters of authority and functioning effectively within departmental policies.”

Brown said that Cherry has been evaluated by a second psychologist that was chosen by the department, who has also determined that nothing is wrong with him.

Since the time Cherry’s superiors recommended him for fitness-for-duty evaluation, Assistant Chief Dwight Crotts has rated Cherry a Level I on his 4th quarter and annual performance evaluations, on the heels of three successive Level IV ratings. Level 5 is the highest rating an officer can obtain. Brown said that following Cherry’s appeal, Chief Bellamy changed his annual rating to a Level II.

Patting Cherry on the chest, Brown said, “In my opinion, this should be the chief of police.”

Brown said that a human resources manager said that Cherry “represents the 4 percent in the department that want to do right because he says to his people under his command: ‘No cursing.’ That’s what’s in the book. And somebody said, ‘Only 4 percent do that.’ So he said, ‘You want me to violate the rules?’ This is ridiculous. Everybody I see has said of him: ‘He’s one of the finest men on the force.’ 23-year veteran. What did he do wrong? He’s still the best one on the force. But the moment he set out to help others who were under his command, to follow guidelines of procedure. It’s one thing to complain, but do it like you’re supposed to do it within the department. So they did grievances. Because of the grievances he’s now become the targeted person to get out.”

Brown said he told Councilman Perkins: “You’re worried about them having to fire everybody; they ain’t going to have to fire nobody.”

“Just call for a Justice Department investigation and they’ll all quit,” Brown continued. “You ain’t got to fire nobody. And if they’re clean they won’t quit. If they’re doing it right, they ain’t got to worry about no investigation.”

Perkins said he doubts that he’ll receive many e-mails over the next couple days calling on him to vote for a federal investigation, nothing that he attended a 50th anniversary celebration of Dudley High School, a historically black high school, on Saturday. The event was attended by a large number of black constituents, and Perkins said none of them brought up the police department.

“I don’t think we can get buy-in from all the factions,” the councilman said. “I do think we can come up with a way of giving the next police chief the best chance to do the job…. You’ve got to talk about it. Make sure lines of communication are open. Make sure people are honest with each other. And you don’t whisper about it.”

UPDATE: 9:08 a.m.: The city announces that the two final candidates for chief of the Greensboro Police Department are Kenneth C. Miller, senior deputy chief for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and Lisa G. Womack, former police chief of the Elgin Police Department in Illinois. More information here.

UPDATE, 9:27 a.m.: District 2 City Councilman Jim Kee's account of events tracks more closely with that of the Rev. Cardes Brown than does at-large Councilman Robbie Perkins.

Kee says this morning that he and Perkins are considering asking for an outside investigation, and Perkins mentioned the Justice Department as the most likely agency for the job. Kee said he expects to talk to fellow council members about the matter today, and finalize a plan. He added that it's a possibility that the council will take a vote tomorrow, but also possible it may happen later.

Kee indicated he sees some merit in bringing the Justice Department in.

"There’s certain facets of the community that thinks there’s corruption in the in the police department," Kee said. "If there’s isn’t, then this will put that to rest. If there is, then we’ll have to address it."

UPDATE: 9:43 a.m.: Kee called back to say that after consulting with the city manager, he is more inclined to support the idea of having a cultural audit done, as Perkins supports, than bringing in the Justice Department. Kee said he expects Young to recommend the cultural audit to members of city council.