Getting it right

Here are clarifications on misinformation that was circulating during the city council campaign regarding Greensboro's efforts to address our water supply needs and the number of actual vacancies in the police department.

Raleigh's News & Observer notes that "Greensboro got ahead of the game" when it came to dealing with the drought.

Here's Bulletin No. 29 of the Greensboro Police Department issued on October 30, 2007:

Recently, there has been much media attention about the number of sworn vacancies in the Department. Earlier this year, in a report by a local television station, the number of sworn vacancies was reported to be approximately eighty officers. Subsequent stories by other media outlets reported the same number of vacancies.

At the time the first story aired, the nineteen members of the 86th PBIC had nor completed their post-academy training. The 87th PBIC, with thirty-seven members, had been in session only a few weeks when this information was released. Additionally, thirty-two positions for the 87th PBIC had been appropriated by the City Council as 'new positions" in June 2006.

Presently, the Department is authorized 592 sworn positions. When the 87th PBIC completes their post-academy training, the Department will have approximately 30 sworn vacancies. The 88th PBIC is scheduled to begin in January 2008 and is expected to seat approximately forty members. Several conditional offers have been accepted and five individuals have already begun their employment with the Department as early hires. The Division of Resource Management is still accepting applications for the 88th PBIC.