An Appeal from Our President, Dr. Patty Potter

The events of the recent past have put the spotlight on policing, and there is a strong local and national push to make improvements. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the municipal budget; the Greensboro Police Department will be asked to make cuts where possible. Public and private partnerships have never been more crucial to efforts of the Greensboro Police Department to keep our city safe.

The Greensboro Police Foundation has always sought to make Greensboro better and safer through its support of the Greensboro Police Department. Since our establishment in 2012, we have raised over $1M to fund innovative police programs, equipment and technology. In pursuit of transparency in policing, we purchased 125 body-worn cameras for the department in 2013. Greensboro became the first major US city to outfit its entire patrol force in body-worn cameras. More recently, we purchased K9 Porter, a trained therapy Aussiedoodle who has become the cornerstone of Students Overcoming Situations (SOS). The SOS program grew out of a partnership between the Greensboro Police Department and Guilford County Schools and brings GPD officers into classrooms to teach children about safety.

Facing budget cuts, Chief Brian James has appealed to the foundation for help with two critical needs. The department would like to purchase two customized urban response vehicles that are easy to maneuver in densely-populated areas. The department also needs to replace an expiring bomb suit; the GPD bomb unit serves the entire Triad. These items alone cost over $75,000.

The Blue Salute has been postponed until 2021, but it does not mean that we can’t demonstrate support for our police department and bridge the widening gap between city resources and department needs. Please consider making your tax-deductible contribution today. You can give online or through postal mail. Thank you so much for being an advocate for a safer city.