connecting*the*dots

Forgive me if I don’t tow the party line completely, but this Chief Wray controversy doesn’t quite feel as open and shut and David suggests — but not as you might think I mean.

After reading the RMA report, I do believe the city had no choice but to fire Wray, as he undoubtedly lied to his superiors, but the sheer amount of managerial issues raised by officers and employees once the investigation began seems to cut across Wray’s deception and his alleged actions into the disturbing territory of GPD management across the board.

(cartoon by Anthony Piraino)

The following quote is from page five in the overview (Section I) of the RMA report:

[…] The City Manager was approached by a contingent of minority police officers who complained of disparate treatment citing the Hinson matter as one of several examples. Officers complained that there was a “secret police” unit that focused on investigating black GPD officers. They also referenced a “black book” that was rumored to contain the photographs of black police officers that was used by the “secret police unit” for alleged inappropriate purposes. Additionally, law enforcement officers representing all ranks, races and genders came forward with complaints regarding the management of the GPD and concerns of mistreatment. […]

If you read that previous line as I did — “the management of the GPD” — it insinuates that there were issues in the GPD deeper than David Wray; he might have given the directions for tactical assignments and the such, but he didn’t manage them to fruition or carry them out by himself.

So while I’d love to close the book on this controversy and feel like the cancer has been removed — once and for all — from my local police department, I can’t. And I also can’t help but to think that the City Managers and Chief Wray agreed to go separate ways, because if they didn’t, the proverbial shit was lining up in droves to hit the proverbial fan… and everyone involved in the face.

Yesterday, after reading the RMA for himself, Ed Cone pointed to John Hammer’s editorial statement on January 26th as an indication of Hammer’s prescience, but the last paragraph of that statement just isn’t sitting well with me:

[…] According to Occam’s Razon, the simplest answer is usually the correct one. In this case the simplest answer is that Wray was, for whatever reason, not honest in his dealings with his boss, City Manager Mitchell Johnson. Any other explanation involves huge coincidences and for people to do things that don’t make any sense.

This report really needs to be released to the public.

UPDATE: The report has been uploaded to Greensboro101.

Next: I’ll read Jerry Bledsoe’s narrative and compare factual assertions.