By Kenwyn Caranna And Annette Ayres
Source News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.
GREENSBORO, NC—In a move that took many by surprise, Police Chief Brian James announced he will retire effective May 31.
"I'm very disappointed," Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, adding that the chief, who joined the Greensboro Police Department in 1996, "has left a great legacy."
"This was his decision," said Vaughan, who spoke with the 52-year-old about his retirement.
"We talked about the importance of family and the toll that it takes," Vaughan said. James is married with three children and grew up in the Woodmere Park neighborhood of Greensboro.
"He was sworn in Jan. 31, (2020)," said Vaughan, noting that his tenure began just as the COVID-19 pandemic was rising and shortly before the social unrest that resulted from news of George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police. "It is the hardest job," she said of the police chief position.
James, who attended Page High School and graduated from N.C. A&T, declined to comment through a spokesman.
James' salary is $189,650, according to the city's online database. He oversees more than 800 employees.
City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba said in a news release that James "demonstrates a unique passion for his job and genuine support for our police officers. His ideas and stellar leadership will be missed."
The city has secured a recruiting firm to assist with the selection process for a new chief, according to the news release. According to Jaiyeoba, Deputy Chief Teresa Biffle will take over as interim chief while the search for James' replacement begins "in earnest."
Biffle is a 27-year veteran of the department and has served as deputy chief of the Management Bureau since 2021, when she was promoted by James, the release said.
Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson said she was "shocked" when she heard the news.
"He always listens," Johnson said. "I talked to him about putting bright lights up on ... poles in high-crime districts and I thought his response was great. He said: 'Lights are great, but I don't just want to put them in high-crime districts. I don't want people who live in those communities to think that they are targeted. I'd like to put them in a lot of different places.'"
Council member Justin Outling said the chief's decision to take the Behavioral Health Response Team in-house, letting go of the private company, showed good leadership.
"It was taking that outside team over half an hour to respond to calls," Outling said. "It has been a night and day difference (putting the entire team under the city's umbrella). Obviously, much faster response times. People attributing their family members still living today because of the positive interactions that they've had with that police-lead team.
"As the chief, he deserves a lot of credit for things like that."
What they're saying
- "Morale is better with his officers and staff and he's put the department in a good place for the next chief." — Mayor Nancy Vaughan
- "He is a phenomenal bridge-builder. He has truly been a servant leader in our community." — Franklin McCain of the United Way of Greater Greensboro
- "He led the police department during one of the most challenging times in the city's history, including historically high levels of violent crime, really noted protests in 2020, as well as obviously the pandemic and so we wish him well in his retirement." — Councilman Justin Outling
- "It's just a loss for our community." — Councilwoman Tammi Thurm
- "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Chief James on a professional level. He is a man of great integrity and much wisdom." — Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers
- "I wish him much success, whatever his future endeavors are, and there will be a national search to find the next chief which is normally the process you go through whenever you are looking for replacement of new leadership. And I think that's where we have to be headed." — Councilwoman Sharon Hightower
- "Everything he has brought has been solely for the betterment of Greensboro and public safety." — Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter
- "I just thought he was a great leader. I'm just sad that he's going to retire." — Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson
Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter said she was "heartbroken for the city" because James brought a number of initiatives that helped reduce crime.
She wondered if the chief got the support he needed.
"Sometimes I've observed that some people on council have wanted to change things that the chief is doing when the chief is supposed to only report to the city manager," Abuzuaiter said.
Councilwoman Sharon Hightower thinks the department is about the same now as it was when James came on board.
"Being the police chief is no easy job," she said. "But I know our focus has to continue to be resolving issues that continue to plague our city."
Councilwoman Tammi Thurm noted the "important changes" James made to how the department operated. The city hasn't adopted all of the reforms, but James initiated some of them, including requiring officers to de-escalate the potential use of force, to report observations of excessive force and specifically banning chokeholds or strangleholds — although James said officers never were trained in that manner of restraint.
"I think he's returned us to community policing, which I think is very important," Thurm said.
Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers congratulated James on his retirement.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Chief James on a professional level. He is a man of great integrity and much wisdom," Rogers said.
Prior to becoming chief, James was involved with such community groups as Malachi House, Guilford Child Development and the United Way of Greater Greensboro.
Franklin McCain of the United Way served alongside James, who was co-chair of the agency's African-American Leadership group, on various community engagement projects. McCain recalls the aftermath surrounding the death of George Floyd, which lead to protests around the world.
"He didn't make excuses," McCain said of James leading and participating in conversations about Floyd's death and other concerns among those in the community. "He talked about what was going right and where there was room for improvement — and how he wanted to be a part of solutions.
"He was really invested in making Greensboro a community that we could all be proud of."
Staff writer Nancy McLaughlin contributed to this report.
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