Greensboro police chief orders tasers worn opposite firearms to reduce risk

A small shift on an officer’s duty belt is now part of a larger test of Kamran Afzal’s leadership in Greensboro. Just 30 days into the job, the city’s new police chief ordered officers to carry their Tasers on the opposite side of the body from their firearms, a change meant to reduce the chance of grabbing the wrong weapon in a split-second encounter.

Afzal said the policy is designed to keep a mistake from happening in Greensboro that has been seen too many times elsewhere. In practical terms, the move changes how officers are trained to reach for force options under stress, and it is meant to make those decisions safer for both officers and the public when confrontations turn tense.

The decision lands at a sensitive moment for the Greensboro Police Department, which is led by Afzal and has 787 authorized personnel spread across 14 divisions. City materials describe the department’s approach as neighborhood-oriented policing, built around data-driven crime analysis and police-citizen partnerships. A Taser placement rule may sound technical, but it affects daily use-of-force habits inside one of Guilford County’s most visible public agencies.

Afzal’s rapid action also signals that he is moving quickly to define his command style. He was sworn in on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, after City Manager Nathaniel “Trey” Davis selected him through a competitive national search. He succeeded John Thompson, who retired in February 2026, and arrived with more than three decades in law enforcement that began with the U.S. Capitol Police in 1991 and continued with the Arlington County Police Department in 1993.

Greensboro’s new chief brings a long résumé that includes 24 years with Arlington County and later leadership posts in Durango, Colorado, Hopewell, Virginia, and Dayton, Ohio. That background helps explain why the department is already seeing an early policy adjustment that reaches into the mechanics of patrol work rather than waiting for a longer transition period.

The move also comes as Afzal has faced a skeptical public. Residents voiced opposition to his hiring at a Greensboro City Council meeting on April 7, 2026, and later community meetings touched on policing, transparency, racial disparities, homelessness and government accountability. WFMY reported that the June community conversations were the first of six planned meetings, giving Afzal a public forum as he begins to put his own stamp on the department.

For Greensboro, the new Taser rule is more than a belt configuration. It is an early signal that the city’s police chief wants to reduce avoidable risk before a mistake turns into a tragedy.