Greensboro activist criticizes police chief search over transparency concerns

Dozens of residents packed a Greensboro City Council meeting to object to the offer extended to Kamran Afzal, saying the police chief search should have been more transparent and that internal candidates were not adequately considered. The criticism has turned a top hiring decision at City Hall into a public test of trust, with residents treating the choice of Greensboro’s next police chief as a decision that will shape crime response, neighborhood relations and the department’s standing in the community.

The city has said it is using the executive search firm Developmental Associates and has promised to seek input from police department employees and the community. Greensboro also posted community input sessions to collect resident feedback on the qualities people wanted in the next chief, including sessions tied to Greensboro Central Library, Craft Recreation Center, Peeler Recreation Center and City Hall.

That public process comes as the department is already in transition. Assistant Chief Chris Schultheis was appointed interim chief effective Friday, Feb. 27. The city’s last major search ended on Dec. 15, 2022, when John Thompson was selected as chief after a competitive national search, following Brian James’ retirement in April 2022. Those back-to-back changes have kept attention focused on who will lead the department next and how much say residents will have before the choice is made.

City recruiting materials for the earlier search set a high bar for the job. The brochure said the ideal chief should meet community expectations for transparency, fairness, accountability and strong relationships, and should be highly visible, accessible and trusted inside the department and across Greensboro. That language has taken on new weight as residents and activists question whether the current search is giving the public enough visibility into how candidates are being screened.

Civil rights groups in Greensboro also held a town hall to raise concerns about the city’s decision to hire Afzal. City official Trey Davis said each search is different and must balance openness with protecting candidates, saying the process is not always “cookie cutter.” Afzal later pledged to lead with transparency, accountability and a willingness to listen to the community, a promise that now sits alongside the city’s own call for a chief who can win trust on day one.