UNC-Chapel Hill picks former Greensboro police chief to lead campus police department
UNC-Chapel Hill named outgoing Greensboro Police Chief Brian James as the new chief of UNC Police on Friday.
James, who was set to retire from the Greensboro Police Department after serving 26 years, will replace acting chief Rahsheem Holland. Holland stepped into the role after David Perry quietly went on leave and then resigned without explanation last summer.
Perry’s resignation came months after an internal audit revealed someone in the department misused a criminal information database, wasted money on a leased vehicle and golf cart, and took a police vehicle to football games, The News & Observer previously reported. Perry was UNC’s first Black police chief and served in that role for two years.
In recruiting a new police chief, the search committee sought someone with police and safety experience who was also “a leader who puts the community first” and develops those relationships, according to Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz. He said he’s confident James will work to bridge and grow relationships between UNC Police, students, staff and local community members.
‘Great relationships and trust building’
The university highlighted James’s work to secure mental health resources for his team and the community, talking directly to community members about policing and starting a teenage work program in Greensboro.
“Chief James believes that great relationships and trust building will be the cornerstone to our shared success,” Guskiewicz said in a statement.
James worked his way up the ranks in the Greensboro Police Department, serving in a variety of roles, including deputy chief of the police patrol, investigative and support bureaus and captain of the resource management, central patrol, training and patrol operations divisions.
At UNC PD, James will oversee all campus law enforcement services, providing 24-7 patrol services on campus and at university-owned properties. He will also focus on retaining staff and recruiting officers, which has been a challenge in recent years.
James, who grew up in Greensboro, earned a master of business administration degree from Pfeiffer University and a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University. He also graduated from the 251st session of the FBI National Academy.
James will assume his new position July 1 with assistance from Holland, who has served as acting chief for the past year. Holland, who faced criticism after a physical altercation with student protesters during a tense UNC-CH Board of Trustees meeting last summer, will return to his position of captain.
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 12:04 PM.
