Daniel Bayer
   Staff Writer

The Greensboro City Council was informed at its meeting last Monday, March 14, that a Greensboro Police Department investigation found no evidence that racism was behind a pattern of racial disparities involving traffic stops in the city.

The disparities were noted last year, prompting Police Chief Wayne Scott to begin an investigation and suspend traffic stops for minor equipment violations.

“From a research perspective, this is a very complex topic,” said Dr. Lee Hunt of the police department, who presented details of the investigation to the council.

The investigation was conducted with the aid of researchers from NC A&T and UNC-Greensboro.

According to the research, disparities in traffic stops are not unique to Greensboro, but can be found in police departments nation-wide.

The investigation revealed that black drivers were twice as likely to be searched following a stop than white drivers, but that white drivers were more likely to be found with illegal contraband when searched.

According to Hunt, disparities in traffic stops are not “definitive proof” that racial bias is responsible. Scott said that other factors, such as neighborhoods where police receive the most calls for service, could play a part in the disparities.

New procedures, however will be put in place to make sure that racial bias does not become a factor in stops and searches.

In other council action, city residents will see various improvements in city infrastructure in the coming years as the council approved a host of projects, including sidewalk improvements, parking lots, the Downtown Greenway and streetscape planning. The largest expenditure was $50 million in improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment system.

Residents in various city neighborhoods can expect fewer cracks in their sidewalks as the council moved forward with various road and sidewalk improvements. Among the streets targeted in this recent round of improvements are Phillips Avenue, Lovett Street, Holden Road, Lindsay Street and Rudd Station Road.

Over $1.5 million will be spent on the improvements, which in some cases will be carried out in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Another $775,000 will be spent to construct temporary parking for the Union Square Campus, a mixed-used development immediately south of downtown Greensboro.

The first phase of construction of the campus includes a nursing education center that is a partnership of UNCG, NC A&T, GTCC and Cone Health.

The Council also unanimously approved $50 million worth of bonds for improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment facilities, but ran into disagreements over spending $1.7 million to replace a waterline on Lindsay Street, with Councilmember Sharon Hightower complaining about the lack of minority and women subcontractors involved in the project.

“These numbers are too low,” said Hightower. “We have got to do better with our numbers. I’m not happy at all.” The resolution passed six to two, with Hightower and Mayor Pro Temp, Yvonne Johnson, voting no.

Another $1.2 million was approved for a planning study and concept development for streetscaping on Summit Avenue and Yanceyville Street, but not without Councilmember Tony Wilkins questioning why so few companies had bid on the project.

“There were 12 service firms that were available to bid on this, correct?” Wilkins asked city staff present at the meeting. “But you only got responses from three, right?”

The resolution passed eight to zero, as did one authorizing $5 million in expenditures on phase two of Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway.

The City Council also agreed to supply assistance to the Cleveland Police Department during this summer’s Republican National Convention. Greensboro Police Chief Wayne Scott explained that the city can receive federal money for supplying such assistance.

“We’ve done an analysis to make sure that this won’t impact our patrols [in Greensboro], and we feel very confident,” said Scott. He said that only about 50 officers would be going,

The resolution passed 8-0.