Winston-Salem Police Department

Last updated

Winston-Salem Police Department
Winston-Salem Police Logo.png
AbbreviationWSPD
Agency overview
Formed1913
Preceding agencies
  • Salem Police Department
  • Winston Police Department
Employees732 (559 Officers, 173 civilian) (2017) [1] [2]
Annual budget$80.3 million (2022) [3]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionWinston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Governing body Winston-Salem City Council
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters725 North Cherry Street Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101
Sworn members559 (2017) [2]
Unsworn members173 (2017) [2]
Agency executive
  • Catrina A. Thompson, Chief of police
Units
List
  • Patrol
  • Special Operations
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Forensic Services
  • Special Investigations
  • Downtown Bike Patrol
  • Professional Standards
  • Communications
  • Operations Supports
Commands
List
  • District 1
  • District 2
  • District 3
Facilities
Districts3
Website

The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) is the police department of Winston-Salem inside of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. The department consists of 559 sworn officers and 173 non-sworn officers (as of 2017). [2] This Department serves the 5th largest city in the state, and is divided into 3 districts. The department covers the entire city, which is 133.8 square miles (347 km2).

Contents

The department is run by the Chief of Police, and is assisted by 4 assistant chiefs. The Chief of Police reports directly to an Assistant City Manager and the Winston-Salem City Council. The Chief of Police is William H. PENN Jr., who has been serving since January 2023.

History

The WSPD was formed when the towns of Winston and Salem merged in 1913. When the towns merged, the Winston Police Department and the Salem Police Department also merged.

In 1967, a Winston-Salem policeman hit and killed a black man. Rioting broke out after his funeral on November 2 and lasted through the next night. The Winston-Salem Police and the National Guard unsuccessfully attempted to end the riots. [4] At the time, the New York Times described these riots as "the worst outbreak of racial violence in North Carolina in this century." [5]

In October of 2018, a white officer acting as a school resource officer was accused of slamming a black female student to the ground and arresting her without provocation. The student claimed that the SRO and school administration followed her, and the officer slammed her to the ground. [6] This situation was compared to an incident that took place in South Carolina 2 years before, where and officer was seen flipping a student to the ground. [7] The officer was wearing a body camera, but due to North Carolina law, a court order was required to release the footage. This order came a month later. [8] [9] This footage showed that the officer asked the student to 17 times to stop and come talk to him, and an independent investigation into the incident praised the officer for his de-escalation technique, and was found to have not broken department policy. [10] The Ministers Conference Of Winston-Salem backed down from their calls for the officer to be fired once the footage was released, and praised the department for releasing the footage. [10]

In the summer of 2020, Winston-Salem reacted to the murder of George Floyd, like many cities across the United States and World. The police response in Winston-Salem was different than in other cities, even within North Carolina. During the protests, Chief Thompson, who is black, appeared out of uniform, in civilian clothes and addressed the protesters. She made a promise that as long as the protests stayed peaceful, they would have the full support of the department, saying "I want to show the rest of America that our voices can and will be heard, and that can be done without tearing our city apart.” [11] The protests in Winston-Salem remained peaceful throughout, even with a city population of 250,000. The protesters partnered with the police and local businesses to present a unified message, and this was praised by elected officials. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston-Salem, North Carolina</span> City in North Carolina, United States

Winston-Salem is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina, the third-largest urban area in North Carolina, and the 90th-most-populous city in the United States. With a metropolitan population of 675,966, it is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. Winston-Salem is home to the tallest office building in the region, 100 North Main Street, formerly known as the Wachovia Building and now known locally as the Wells Fargo Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Police Department</span> Seattle, United States law enforcement agency

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, except for the campus of the University of Washington, which is under the responsibility of its own police department. The SPD is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orangeburg massacre</span> 1968 shooting of student protesters by Highway Patrolmen in South Carolina, USA

The Orangeburg massacre was the killing of student protesters that took place on February 8, 1968, on the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Nine Highway Patrolmen and one city police officer opened fire on a crowd of students, killing three and injuring twenty-eight. The shootings were the culmination of a series of protests against racial segregation at a local bowling alley, and marked the first instance of police killing student protestors at an American university.

Hanesbrands Inc. is an American multinational clothing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It employs 65,300 people internationally. On September 6, 2006, the company and several brands were spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation.

The United States Department of Justice defines school resource officers (SRO) as "sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools". They are employed by a local police or sheriff's agency and work closely with administrators in an effort to create a safer environment for both students and staff. The powers and responsibilities are similar to those of regular police officers, as they make arrests, respond to calls for service and document incidents.

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On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On April 18, there were protests in front of the Western district police station. Gray died on April 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Keith Lamont Scott</span> 2016 American police shooting

Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old African-American man, was fatally shot on September 20, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina, by Brentley Vinson, an African-American city police officer. It sparked both peaceful and violent protests led by Black Lives Matter in Charlotte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of George Floyd</span> 2020 police murder in Minneapolis, U.S.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk alleged that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down in a street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before Floyd was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests</span> 2020–2023 police brutality protests

The George Floyd protests were a series of police brutality protests that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of international reactions to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who was murdered during an arrest after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis Police Department officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as three other officers looked on and prevented passers-by from intervening. Chauvin and the other three officers involved were later arrested. In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In June 2021 Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison with possibility of supervised release after 15 years for second-degree murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I can't breathe</span> Human rights slogan

"I can't breathe" is a slogan associated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City Police Officer. A number of other Black Americans, such as Javier Ambler, Manuel Ellis, Elijah McClain, and George Floyd, have said the same phrase prior to dying during similar law-enforcement encounters. According to a 2020 report by The New York Times, the phrase has been used by over 70 people who died in police custody.

There were a series of George Floyd protests in Illinois. Demonstrations and protests were held in at least 30 communities around the state, with major demonstrations happening in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in North Carolina</span> 2020 civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd

This is a list of George Floyd protests in North Carolina, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States racial unrest (2020–present)</span> Mass civil unrest driven by police brutality

A wave of civil unrest in the United States, initially triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, led to protests and riots against systemic racism in the United States, such as in the form of police violence and other forms of violence. Since then, numerous other incidents of police brutality have drawn continued attention and unrest in various parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in San Diego County, California</span> 2020 riot, arson, looting after the murder of George Floyd

This is a list of protests that took place in San Diego County, California following the murder of George Floyd that took place on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. These events were created to fight for justice for George Floyd and other Black community members who suffer from Police brutality. These demonstrations have resulted in a few policy changes, namely the ban of the cartoid neck restraints use in San Diego County and a city-wide independent review board that would review police practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Winston Boogie Smith</span> 2021 police killing of a man in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Law enforcement authorities fatally shot Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old black American man, in the Uptown area of Minneapolis at 2:08 p.m. CDT on June 3, 2021. Smith was being pursued by a U.S. Marshals Service task force that apprehends wanted fugitives. The arrest operation had the participation of undercover agents from several local police agencies in Minnesota. The officers did not use body cameras or dashcams when apprehending Smith, and there is no known video evidence of the June 3 shooting. Controversy over the lack of law enforcement footage of the arrest operation led to local police agencies ceasing aid to the Marshals Service's fugitive task force, and to changes to body and dash camera policies by the Marshals and other federal law enforcement agencies.

The Castro Sweep is a police riot that occurred in the Castro District of San Francisco on the evening of October 6, 1989. The riot, by about 200 members of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), followed a protest held by ACT UP, a militant direct action group responding to the concerns of people with AIDS.

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References

  1. Haywood, Najla. "The Winston-Salem Police Department: "It's Just like Breathing Everyday"". cops.usdoj.gov. COPS Office. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Najla, Haywood. "The Winston-Salem Police Department: "It's Just like Breathing Everyday"". cops.usdoj.gov. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  3. YOUNG, WESLEY. "Winston-Salem approves budget for 2021-22 with 61.24 cent tax rate". journalnow.com. Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  4. "RACIAL OUTBREAK IN WINSTON-SALEM; Guard Called After Negroes Set Fires in Carolina City". The New York Times. 3 November 1967. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  5. "RIOTING RESUMES IN WINSTON-SALEM; Curfew and Guard Defied, but Trouble Is Scattered". The New York Times. 4 November 1967. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  6. BALOGUN, RILWAN. "Police Investigating Altercation at Hanes Magnet School". spectrumlocalnews.com. Spectrum News. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  7. AP. "No criminal charges for deputy seen dragging SC high school student in video". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. "Judge orders police to release body-cam footage of controversial middle school arrest to the public". KBZK. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  9. Journal, Michael Hewlett, John Hinton and Sarah Newell Winston-Salem. "Bodycam video shows officer told teenage girl in Winston-Salem to stop 17 times before arrest". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 4 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 "Body-Cam Video Shows SRO Handcuff, Arrest 14-Year-Old at Hanes Magnet Middle School". wfmynews2.com. WFMY. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  11. 1 2 Dickey, Bronwen. "How One Police Chief Kept Her City from Blowing Up This Summer". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  12. Denyer, Lee Anne (27 July 2020). "Protesters hold more demonstrations Tuesday evening in downtown Winston-Salem". WXII. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2022.