Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
Police Chief John Thompson and Assistant Chief M.J. Harris led a press conference on Friday (March 7) at Greensboro Police Department (GPD) headquarters to follow up on recent community meetings held across the city in response to rising violent crime.
The meetings followed a spike in homicides, with six reported in the first two weeks of January. Although Greensboro saw a significant drop in homicides from 74 in 2023 to 43 in 2024, the numbers are climbing again, with nine homicides already reported by March 7 of this year.
Chief Thompson emphasized that the forums revealed strong community interest in collaborating with law enforcement to reduce crime.
“There was a lot of concern from both the community and the police department,” Thompson said. “I was surprised because, often, in these meetings, people look to blame the police. But what we overwhelmingly saw was community members and organizations stepping up, wanting to be part of the solution.”
He outlined key strategies moving forward which include increasing community involvement, strengthening non-enforcement relationships between police and residents, and expanding the department’s workforce.
Thompson shared that he and Harris recently visited Omaha, Nebraska, where they studied Omaha360, a community-driven crime reduction model that brings together the community, law enforcement, local organizations, and public health officials to address the root causes of violence and crime.
“This framework allows organizations—health departments, hospitals, and community groups—to collaborate on identifying and addressing the root causes of crime,” Harris explained. “Over the last 15 to 18 years, Omaha has seen a decrease in crime and an improvement in community well-being through this model.”
While Greensboro has already established the Office of Community Safety (OCS) to coordinate efforts between law enforcement and community partners, Thompson noted that Omaha360 differs in that it is entirely community-led, with police playing a supporting role rather than taking the lead. He suggested that the OCS would likely oversee the implementation of a similar model in Greensboro.
“We have the statistics—that’s what we bring to the table. But it’s really the community taking ownership of these issues,” Thompson said.
A key component of Omaha360 is its youth summer employment initiative, which Thompson expressed interest in bringing to Greensboro.
“Our data shows that individuals between the ages of 18-25 are most likely to commit crimes,” Thompson said. “We need to reach young people earlier to steer them away from violence.”
Since 2021, GPD has partnered with GuilfordWorks on a youth summer jobs initiative that provides employment opportunities for 16- to 24-year-olds. This year, the summer jobs initiative was turned over to the city’s workforce development department, NC Works and Next Gen. Thompson noted that the Omaha360 model would expand that outreach to youth as young as 13 to 15, creating earlier intervention opportunities.
Thompson identified a geographic “crescent-shaped” area spanning across southeastern and eastern Greensboro as the city’s primary hotspot for violent crime, though he acknowledged an increase in incidents outside historically high-crime areas.
Addressing concerns over police staffing, Thompson shared that GPD is authorized for 651 officers and will launch a new police academy class in April, which should bring the department close to full staffing for the first time in a decade. However, he believes a force of 700-720 officers would be more appropriate to meet the demands of a growing city—a decision that ultimately rests with the Greensboro City Council.
“We haven’t been this close to full staffing in 10 years, and that’s an extremely positive step,” Thompson said. “What I’m asking from city leadership is a plan for future growth—especially with all the economic expansion happening in Greensboro.”
As discussions continue, Thompson emphasized that collaborative efforts between law enforcement, city officials, and community members will be key in shaping Greensboro’s approach to public safety.
