“We understand that there are some who have concerns about the recent hiring of Douglas Strader.
“We want to assure our community that the City of Graham Police Department has sound practices regarding recruiting, applicant processing, and background investigation.
“Our processes follow the best practices in law enforcement, as guided by the Commission on Accreditation on Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
“Our hiring methods have several layers, where not only one factor is measured. This process includes applicant interviews, board interviews, detailed reference checks, neighborhood visits, truth evaluations, drug testing, and medical and psychological evaluations from trusted medical professionals commonly used through the State of North Carolina.
“Each applicant is processed carefully and chosen with the community’s best interests in mind. As with all Graham Police Department officers, Officer Strader is committed to upholding the values of professionalism, respect, integrity, and excellence as he serves our residents and those who visit the City of Graham.”
Other aspects of this week’s coverage of officer Douglas Strader’s hiring and two controversies he was involved in while serving in Greensboro Police Department:
Graham police chief defends decision to hire officer fired by Greensboro Police Department: https://alamancenews.com/graham-chief-defends-hiring-policeman-fired-by-greensboro/
Graham police chief says she will assess officer by his performance, not criticism or protests: https://alamancenews.com/police-chief-says-keeping-strader-will-be-based-on-his-performance/
Strader fired one year about shooting at fleeing vehicle; city manager denies his appeal of the firing: https://alamancenews.com/straders-decision-to-shoot-at-fleeing-vehicle-gets-him-fired/
Strader was present in Greensboro during the encounter with Marcus Smith and his subsequent death, but officers not held responsible: https://alamancenews.com/death-of-marcus-smith-in-greensboro-police-custody-tragic-but-officers-not-implicated/
See Greensboro Police Department body-cam video from the tragic encounter with Marcus Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P55gefPZDVM
