Council members speak out on GPD salaries

A 17-year-old shot to death on Hugh Street Dec. 29.

A lunchtime shootout inside Berkeley Mall.

A corpse found on Sunburst Drive.

And all of that after Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West said the incident that claimed that teenager’s life a little more than a week ago was one of 949 shootings inside the city limits in 2023 — nearly double the 595 reported by ShotSpotter the previous year.

But that number, “as horrifying as it is,” is not the one that should rattle every single person living in this community, the chief said.

There were 5,179 rounds fired during those “events” — 2,500 more bullets than in 2022.

Since the data was first reported by New Old North, the above incidents that have unfolded in the city have drawn strong reactions from local residents — some of whom saying they no longer feel safe in public because “criminals have taken over.”

West reiterated that he and his officers are doing the best they can to keep local residents safe, but noted that preventative policing would remain on the back burner until his department is fully staffed.

And that, he believes, will likely only happen if the city raises salaries to a level that would make it competitive with neighboring communities.

Several members of the Goldsboro City Council told New Old North they were preparing to vote at the end of January for the “Plan A” increase recommended by West last summer — but that in order to be “fiscally responsible,” the money would not start flowing until July 1, the beginning of the 2024-25 fiscal year.

But the murder, the Berkeley Mall shooting, and the body found near Target — and the public’s reaction — has changed the plan.

Here is where every council member stands on a vote that would increase the salaries in the coming weeks:

Mayor, Charles Gaylor:

Goldsboro’s new mayor said he is less concerned with the Goldsboro Police Department’s ability to respond to large-scale crises than he is with its ability to stop crime before it happens. But to ensure preventative policing can accomplish its mission — taking guns, drugs, and criminals off the streets before tragedies unfold — the Plan A raise recommended must happen. And it will.

“When there’s a massive event, there’s no shortage of resources. It’s when you’re just trying to do the day-to-day building relationships and integrating yourself into the community, that’s where there are shortages,” Gaylor said. “I think that we’ve got to give the police the resources they need as quickly as possible, and I think that you’ll see something change very soon. I want to be very clear. You’re going to see it on the agenda very soon and it’s not going to be a July 1 start date.”

District 1, Hiawatha Jones:

Hiawatha Jones says she and her fellow council members are “very serious” about ensuring the Goldsboro Police Department is fully staffed — particularly in light of the recent shooting that unfolded inside Berkeley Mall.

“We’ve heard the concern. We’ve seen the crime rate. We are very concerned with everything that’s going on in this city,” she said. “A stray bullet could have hit anyone — a child, a baby, a mother. You need to feel comfortable shopping at the mall. You need to feel comfortable anywhere. You need to feel safe. Several lives could have been taken in that mall.”

District 2, Chris Boyette:

Before he was elected — and moments after he was sworn in — Chris Boyette made it clear that funding the Goldsboro Police Department was Priority No. 1. He hasn’t walked back that statement yet and said he will fight to ensure raises are approved at the earliest possible convenience.

“I’ve banged my fist on the desk that this needs to be done, and light of the recent situations that have happened, this is an absolute crisis situation that needs to be dealt with forthwith,” he said.

District 3, Jamie Taylor:

Jamie Taylor knows how it feels to lose a loved one to a violent crime. So, for her, voting yes to raising Goldsboro Police Department salaries is a must — particularly given what she is seeing as a bail bondswoman.

“We need our housing unit back up, we need our warrant squad back up, we need our gang unit back up,” she said. “We need the raise today because we cannot afford to have any more lives lost. People are taking Goldsboro for a joke. They think they can do anything they want to. It’s crazy. It’s out of hand.”

District 4, Brandi Matthews:

Brandi Matthews is ready to go all-in on raises for the Goldsboro Police Department but wants to ensure the money is in place to avoid hardships on her constituents and other city residents.

“I am in full support, again, of trying to get our men and women who keep us safe every day where they need to be in terms of salary. I am OK with yielding to the powers that be, our chief, saying, ‘This is what our officers need.’ He’s the subject matter expert,” she said. “But I want to figure out how we can do that. I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as flipping a switch because we have such a financial responsibility to everything else.”

District 5, Beverly Weeks:

Through her ministry, Beverly Weeks has seen what is at stake should the city not figure out a way to ensure the Goldsboro Police Department is fully staffed. So, she is “100 percent committed to getting law enforcement the raises” but stressed that this be a real solution and not a Band-Aid.

“Not just a little bit. What (Chief West) is specifically asking for,” she said. “I honestly think if we had voted on it (Jan. 8) there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you would have had an adequate number of votes to get it passed.”

District 6, Roderick White:

Roderick White believes that the crime problem in Goldsboro is bigger than the number of lawmen on the beat — that in order to beat down the increasingly brazen criminal element in the city, a “holistic approach” is necessary. And while he was not ready to commit to how he would vote should the Plan A pay increases appear on an upcoming City Council agenda, he said he would look at the facts and make the decision he feels is in the best interest of his constituents and the city at large.

“I believe you have to evaluate before you begin to make decisions and assumptions,” he said. “So that’s where I’m at right now. I’m in evaluation mode.”