Episode 32: Policing WITH the Community with Guest Tony Godwin, Retired Chief of Cary PD

Episode 32: Policing WITH the Community with Guest Tony Godwin, Retired Chief of Cary PD

We are excited to welcome Retired Cary PD Chief Tony Godwin to the show this week! He joins us to share his perspective as a white male police officer during this moment, specifically explaining his experience connecting with the Black community by meeting them where they are. He tells us how that came to be - from meeting Tru Pettigrew right after the Michael Brown incident to developing a relationship with him and starting a community conversation series on the 1st Saturday of each month at a barbershop in Cary. The Cary PD continues to hold these "Barbershop Rap Sessions" to this day, even through COVID (virtually). Tony also talks about the importance of communication and helping the community understand how best to use their police department and hold them accountable. He says it’s about engaging in policing WITH the community - by meeting them where they are.

 

Tru Access: More Info

Barbershop Rap Sessions: Get Connected

 

More about Tony Godwin:
Tony retired in January 2019 as the Chief of Police for the Town of Cary. His 30-year career with the Cary Police Department began as an intern when he was a Senior at NC State University. Following graduation, he began as a patrol officer and went on to work nearly every assignment in the department over the next 3 decades.
He also served as the Interim Chief of Police for the Town of Apex in 2020-2021. During his time there he had the opportunity to lead the department through a transition in senior leadership and continue his efforts to bring the community and the police department closer together.
Tony served as the Region VII Director for the NC Assoc. of Chiefs of Police, The Chairman of the Carolinas Region for the Atlanta/Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area through the US Drug Enforcement Agency and finally, he was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina as a state commissioner for the Industrial Hemp Commission. During the last 5 years of his career Tony found his passion for building bridges between law enforcement and communities of color, which is the work he continues today through his partnership with Tru Pettigrew at Tru Access. Tony has been married for 22 years to a former law enforcement officer, Shannon, and they have two sons, Wyatt (19) and Colton (10).