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.”
Persistent critics of the new chief held a prayer rally in front of police headquarters following the swearing-in ceremony.
“For the last six weeks we have highlighted the necessity of transparency,” said Rev. Greg Drumwright, pastor of Citadel Church and the new leader of Greensboro’s Pulpit Forum. “We may not have agreed with the process that brought the chief here and we may not have agreed with the data that preceded him and his leadership. But we do agree that regardless of those stances, he deserves the opportunity to be covered in prayer.”
Drumwright led the rally, joined by leaders from various churches, organizers, activists and some members of the city council.
“We’re here peacefully, non-adversarially, but we’re here to move forward in the right direction,” Drumwright said.
CJ Brinson, pastor of Umoja Church in Greensboro, pushed back on the notion that the chief’s critics need to work with him.
“It is not the responsibility of us to work with the new chief,” Brinson said. “Our job is to hold the new chief accountable. And we ask that you all be in the work with us to hold the chief accountable. We ask that you all be with us as we are continuing our fight around ending regulatory stops and implementing informed consent. And not just watered down policies but policies that are the strongest safeguards that have been recommended by the highest institutions in our state.”
During the rally in front of the headquarters, police asked the group to move from the area directly in front of the steps to avoid blocking the entrance. After initially resisting, the group moved their podium and sound equipment and continued.
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.”
