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NEWS/t|t CMrUttt 9a(t
Thursday, January 19, 2005
romtitil
POLICE CHEF KEPT TABS ON BLACK OFFICERS
Greensboro manager
conGmis mack booK
By Meldc Rutledge
77/f C.AROIJS'A PtACL\L\KtJ(
GREENSBORO - David
Wray ia retired aa thia dtya
police chief But hia quitting
left many uiianawered quea-
tiona
Greensboro City Council
made a responsive move to
help reduce the communitya
apprehension over events
that led to the resignation of
Wray
In their ftrst meeting of the
year, City Council went into a
closed session for more than
an hour before unanimously
voting to release some of the
information involving Wray
for public view-in an attempt
to “restore and maintain pub
lic confidence ”
The most noteworthy part
of the city manager’s report
consisted of Chief Wra/s
involvement with a secret
“black book.”
Mitchell Johnson has not
actually seen the “black
book,” but said that the police
department’s Special
Intelligence Section utilized
it. The actual color of the book
is not Hack, but consisted
entirely of the names and
profiles of Afilcan-American
police officers
1st woman
to lead
Durham
Chamber
Mary Ann Black
elected chair
Black
Approximately 19 officers
with their pictures are in the
book, according to the dty
manager. As stated in the
report, the book was created
to and used in response to the
comfdeunts about those offi
cers fiom Greensboro resi
dents.
ChiefWray didn’t create the
book, but when questioned by
Mitchell Johnson about
knowledge of the “black
book,” Wray denied existence
of it,
“However, when the possi
ble existence of the book
became known to the public,
Chief Wray instructed a sub
ordinate to hide and secure
the book and did not inform
hiB superior of its true exis
tence and actual purpose,”
said \fitchell Jchnson
The act of not reporting the
existence of the book to the
dty manager, led to much
oonfusicHi in the dty manag
er’s office and among
Greensboro’s residents,
Mitchell Johnson explained.
The ongoing investigations
pertaining to the “black
book,” the actions of the
Spedal Intelligence Section
and WraVs withholding of
information has cost the dty
$70,000 and 1,100 hours of
staff time. The investigations
also include assistance fix)m
investigators independent of
the Greensboro Police
Department.
As assistant dty manger,
Mitchell Johnson headed the
selection committee that
chose Wray as police chief in
August 2003.
“I deeply regret that we
have had to take these
actions,” the dty manager
said before reading aloud the
5-page repeat to the press,
“and while what I am going to
share with you is disappoint
ing, I fed that I must remind
everyone that Chief Wray
served this community with
distinction for many years.”
Wray gained attention last
June with the suspension of
Lt. James Hinson.
In early Jime, Hinson
accused the police depart
ment’s Spedal Intelligence
Unit of uiyustly targeting
him.
He had noticed officers fol
lowing him during his work
shift. Later it was confirmed
that he had a tracker on his
vehide.
Wray failed to notify the
dty manager - at any point
during Hinson’s investigation
- that Hinson had already
been deared of any criminal
liability in 2003, and deared
by Internal Affairs in 2004.
Hinson returned to duty and
has been cleared of any
wrongdoing.
“The dedsion that was
made by Chief Wray is not
supportive of the core values
of this oiganization,” said
Mitchell Johnson, “and did
not support a truthful repre-
sentatiOTi of the actions that
had been made on Lt. James
Hinson and other police offi
cers.”
So far there are no criminal
charges against Wray
Formerly the assistant
chief, Tim Bellamy is now the
interim chief The Hallsboro,
N.C., native has served in the
department since 1983,
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By Sommer Bix)kaw
77/F m.\SGl£ TRIBVSK
DURHAM - The Greater
Durham Chamber of
Commerce recently appointed
Mary Ann Black as its board
chair, adding the first female
face to lead the booster group
in its lOO-year history
“I’m pleased
about being the
chamber chair
and exdted
because I am a
female, and
finally the
chamber will
have a finale
to chair its
board,” Black said. “However,
I do not see it as a huge
accomplishment in that Fm
saddled that it has taken
100 years to arrive at a point
where a female chairs the
board.”
Black’s tenure began Jan 1.
Since then, she has begun
working on setting the cham
ber agenda fca* 2006. She said
that she will focus on growing
businesses in Duiham, but
she also wants to honor long
time businesses in the com*
munity Another plan is to
connect Duke and the cham
ber s guTflll business commit
tee to address preventative
health issues for small
employers
‘Tm proud of her,” said Dr.
Ralph Sniderman, former
CEO of Duke University
Health System “Not only is
she the first woman, but she
is also an Afiican American
wIk) had to earn everything
she has It was not handed to
her on a silver platter."
Bom in Manhattan, Black
moved to FTca^ence, S.C., at
age 4. One of her mother's
cousins, lola Jones, who had a
master’s degree in social
work, started a home for
orphans Black’s grandmoth
er also took her on tripe to
raise money (or orphans.
Those trips inspired her pas
sion for social werk.
Black received her under
graduate degree fix>m
Benedict College in
Columbia, S.C., and a mas
ter’s degree in social work
fiom LT^C-Chapel Hill.
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