Kamran Afzal was sworn in as Greensboro’s new police chief Tuesday afternoon in a ceremony in the city council chambers at the Melvin Municipal Office Building. He and other city officials pledged transparency and to listen to the community after more than a month of controversy over his hiring.
Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter alluded to the controversy in her introductory remarks.
“We are here because of the people of Greensboro,” Abuzuaiter said. “The people of Greensboro who care, who have concerns, yet love their city. We have seen the love for our city, and we are thankful for all perspectives and all concerns. This moment represents leadership, service, and responsibility.”
City Manager Nathaniel “Trey” Davis, speaking via video message while away on vacation, also stressed working with the community.
“You step into this role at a time when collaboration, transparency, and community partnership are more important than ever,” Davis told Afzal in the recorded message. “We look forward to working alongside you as you lead the Greensboro police department into its next chapter. Public safety is a shared responsibility, and it takes strong leadership, dedicated officers, and an engaged community to move forward together.”
Afzal, 59, said he takes the responsibility of his position seriously and pledged to listen to and earn trust with the community that has criticized the transparency of the process that led to his appointment.
“Public safety is strongest when it is built on trust,” Afzal said. “And trust is built through relationships, transparency, and consistency. I will take the time to listen, to learn, and to understand this community before making decisions that impact.”
Immediately after the swearing-in, those opposed to Afzal’s hiring rallied for a protest outside police headquarters following the ceremony. In addition to questions about the hiring process and Afzal’s record as police chief in Dayton, Ohio, the new chief arrives in the midst of a professional standards review involving the department’s social media manager making a string of posts that offended residents.
While it is not yet clear how Afzal will tackle that problem, he made his expectations around professionalism clear in his speech Tuesday.
“Those of us who are entrusted with the authority to hold others accountable must hold ourselves to an even higher standard,” Afzal said. “In character and in action, we must be beyond reproach. That is not just my expectation—that is the expectation of this community, and it is the standard that we must embrace.”
The new chief takes on a great responsibility, Abuzuaiter said in her remarks, and the community will expect much from him.
“The community will look to you for leadership, steadfastness, patience, and compassion,” she said. “Our city expects that. It expects transparency and accountability. It expects fairness and respect for every resident in every neighborhood. Those expectations matter.”
Afzal, for his part, said he is up to the task.
“Thank you for the trust you have placed in me,” he said. “And I’ll look forward to earning it every single day.”