Greensboro’s city manager is standing behind the hiring of Police Chief Kamran Afzal after several residents decried the decision.
More than a dozen people spoke out at a city council meeting on Tuesday about the hiring, alleging a lack of transparency and community input.
Several who spoke said they favored Assistant Police Chief Stephanie Mardis, who has more than two decades of experience in Greensboro. Afzal will be coming from Dayton, Ohio.
Rev. Gregory Drumwright, a Guilford County commissioner candidate, pointed to a recent incident in which a man riding a bike was killed by a Dayton police officer. The shooting is currently the subject of both criminal and internal administrative investigations.
Drumwright said residents are concerned about what’s to come as Greensboro enters a new era of policing.
“This is going to drag the public trust of law enforcement further in the ground at a juncture where we should be building public trust," he said.
But City Manager Trey Davis, who’s responsible for hiring the police chief, defended his choice.
“This decision was based on alignment with our needs, not a single factor or a moment. We selected the candidate who best matched the profile shaped by both the community's input and the professional evaluation," he said.
Davis added that he’s confident the selection will move the city forward.
Afzal is expected to begin his duties in Greensboro on May 13.