Sometimes, to really understand the scope of a problem, you have to stop talking about it and experience it firsthand.
It is not enough to listen to statistics and analysis from your city leaders or the experts.
You can’t even just take the word of those who are actually living it.
You have to see it for yourself.
Well, we did that a little more than a week ago.
We sat in a police car.
We heard the radio traffic.
We held our breath when the cruiser we were in took off after a potentially dangerous suspect and then when the officers cornered him — in the middle of the afternoon — in a house.
We were there when the call was made for backup.
We saw some of that backup show up in street clothes.
So, we understand now just how precariously balanced protection of the community is in Goldsboro right now.
We saw it.
We lived it.
And we have a message.
There is no more time to waste in fixing the public safety problem in Goldsboro because there is no more important issue — not in this election or for the future of the city.
We cannot just wait and see anymore.
We are one catastrophic 911 call away from a disaster — to the point where the city police cannot respond effectively in the case of an emergency.
And that 911 call could come from your child’s school — or from your home.
And those officers, the men and women who are our and your first line of defense when an emergency strikes, they are worried, too.
They are tired.
They are understaffed.
They are frustrated.
And they want to be there to protect their community, but they know they do not have the personnel to do it right.
So, they are concerned, and getting more so every day.
And they told us that right this minute, they are being forced to make decisions no lawman or woman should ever have to make.
Which 911 call is more important?
Whose life is more important?
That is not hyperbole.
We have really reached that point.
We’ve heard the debate.
“The money is just not there.”
“We need incentives that are not monetary to keep officers here.”
“We cannot approve the higher increase in pay because we cannot sustain it in future budgets.”
“Maybe salaries aren’t the real problem.”
“We cannot compete with wealthier communities, so we have to do the best with what we have.”
And, of course, our favorite: “We can’t give the city police and firefighters the competitive salaries we need to attract and to keep personnel because there are other city employees who might get their feelings hurt if we give first responders a big raise.”
That last statement, although not a direct quote, is the exact sentiment echoed by Goldsboro’s city manager, Tim “we already did Cost-of-Living Adjustment raises” Salmon.
His is the kind of analysis you make when you are looking at an Excel spreadsheet, not when you are really listening to what it is like out there in the real world, behind the wheel of that police cruiser, or facing the life and death decisions when a call comes in.
It is the perspective that any shortage can be managed with the right choices — and that those who are warning about a potential serious problem are just working the public’s emotions for more cash.
And it is why the City Council put a Band-Aid on what really needs stitches and a wound wrap.
The package approved recently by the council brings salaries up a little, and addresses some of the concerns that have led to what has become a real crisis in the city’s first responder corps.
But here’s the rub: It is not just about attracting new recruits. It is about keeping the experienced ones we have and, in a perfect world, drawing in experienced officers from neighboring departments.
But instead, we are losing them, on a regular basis — and have lost a few more since the misguided vote for a “Plan B” that was only created to appease Salmon.
And after our ride-along last week, we understand why.
When there is an emergency call, that is an active crime in progress.
There is danger to not only the victims of the crime, but also to potential innocents who might cross the suspected offender’s path.
We are not talking about school kid vandalism or a cat caught up in a tree.
These are real criminals — in some of the state’s toughest neighborhoods.
And those bad guys are not sculking around in the middle of the night either.
They are brazen — committing crime in broad daylight.
And right now, our police force is not out trying to stop those crimes before they happen because they can’t.
And the criminal elements of this community know that.
So, forget about taking fentanyl off the streets or stopping a gang war before it boils over into your neighborhood.
Instead, our officers are just waiting to answer the next call that comes from dispatch.
They aren’t proactively protecting their community. They are simply reacting.
And the criminals — the drug dealers, thieves, child traffickers — they know that, too.
So, as you head to the polls, or consider whether it is worth your time to cast a ballot, think about this.
This community cannot function without the best and brightest in our first responder corps.
Not when inner-city neighborhoods are being flooded with guns and drugs.
Not when bullets are flying every single day.
And no, GPD Chief Mike West cannot create any sort of “atmosphere” that overcomes those two very large and very real problems.
That’s why the experienced officers are heading for greener pastures and why new recruits are not even considering Goldsboro.
So no matter who earns a City Council seat or the mayor’s gavel, one thing is crystal clear.
We need to give West what he needs to keep this community safe — and it is the council, the mayor, and the city manager’s jobs to make it happen.
Now.
We need to stop cannibalizing task forces that are meant to stop crime before it happens to cover the day-to-day operations of the police force.
We need to stop thinking that if we have a real emergency, a serious threat like a school shooter, that we would have the time to gather up off-duty officers to make an effective response — that time really isn’t of the essence when a call like that is made to 911.
We need to send a message to criminals across the region that if they come here, we have a law enforcement community that is ready, willing, and rested enough to stop them.
We need a pay package that sends that message not only to seasoned officers across the region but also to those who have been with the GPD for years that we value the experience and perspective they bring to the table, and that we are willing to reward them for it.
There is no more time for debating.
No more yickety-yak about budgets and waiting for a new council to begin considering the issue.
There is no time for that.
We are at the tipping point right now.
This is the issue that matters. This is the one that needs attention.
And anyone who thinks or says otherwise is simply not fit to serve — in any capacity — in our city government.
And, by the way, lest you think that what happens in Goldsboro has no effect on other parts of the community, consider this.
A community that has a reputation as an easy mark for crime does not have a border across which drug dealing, sex trafficking, assault, and murder can’t cross.
Crime will seep out into other areas, and could impact an innocent bystander who gets caught in the crossfire.
And those who are considering moving here or building a business in this county, they weigh those factors heavily. Attracting that investment is critical to moving this county forward. So, what happens in Goldsboro affects other areas of this community, too.
Bottom line: We need to act on public safety now.
No time for catchup, lengthy debates, or political posturing.
We were there.
We saw it.
And we hope that now, after reading our coverage, you see it, too.
So, before you vote, after you cast your ballot, and between now and the swearing in of the new council, make your voices heard.
Want to ensure a cruiser heads your way moments after you call 911?
Hold city leaders firmly to the promise that this issue — and no other — is Job 1, right now.
