By Susie C. Spear
News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.
GREENSBORO — Nearly $4 million in federal grant funds awarded to the Greensboro Police Department will allow the agency to bolster its workforce with 30 new officers, target auto-related theft, and increase officer visibility downtown, according to Chief John Thompson .
The Cops Hiring Program, or CHP, a Department of Justice initiative begun 20 years ago, helps pinpoint need and directs grants to beef up police forces around the country.
The $3.7 million infusion should cover 75% of 30 new officers’ salaries for about three years, according to Greensboro Police. The city will take care of the balance, officials said. COPS bestowed $8.6 million to law enforcement agencies statewide, and Greensboro won the largest piece of the pie.
“Our City Council and City leadership has fully supported our efforts to keep starting salaries competitive, which has made a significant difference in our ability to recruit and retain skilled officers. As a result of that support, we have about 30 cadets in the academy, and another 30 going through their post-academy field training,’’ Thompson said in a Thursday email.
“That will leave us with only 13 vacancies for sworn positions. This grant will allow us to add 30 more positions and better address some of the community’s areas of concern, such as traffic and auto-related crimes,’’ the chief said, explaining he hoped to stem thefts of property, including weapons, from vehicles, as well as the theft of vehicles.
“We also are looking at potentially using some of those new positions to increase our visibility downtown, which continues to grow and attract new businesses.”
Downtown recently saw the shooting death of a homeless man outside the Interactive Resources Center on Washington Street, an agency that had served the 25-year-old victim, police said.
New officers would join a force already 670-strong. Currently, there are about 13 vacancies for officers, Greensboro Police said, the lowest vacancies have been since before 2020, according to news reports.
Thompson, who became chief in 2022, was seriously understaffed from the start. That year, the department was about 130 officers short of a full roster.
Now, the department is attracting and retaining more officers in a hiring climate that is competitive across the region.
The starting salary for a police officer with the Greensboro Police Department is $57,220 if an officer is still in the Police Academy. After completing the academy, the annual salary is over $59,500. Information about when hiring will begin was not immediately available.
By Oct. 17, Greensboro, had counted 34 homicides for the year so far, compared to 54 at this same in September 2023, records and news reports show.
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