Leadership
DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Graham Police Department is dedicated to the highest quality of law enforcement services delivered with compassion and professionalism. We are committed to provide our agency members a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and professional growth.
VISION
The vision is to be a leading, progressive, and unified agency of highly trained professionals who inspire excellence within law enforcement and partner with all to protect, serve and create a safe community.
VALUES
We value all members of our organization and our community. We are committed to providing exceptional public service through these core values.
- Commitment – To our community and the organization
- Integrity – Doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason
- Respect – In our contacts with our community, fellow officers and neighboring agencies.
- Accountability – In our individual actions and as a whole organization.
- Teamwork – Working together to reach a common goal
- Leadership – In the development of our agency members and the education of our citizens.
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations. The purpose of CALEA’s programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of contemporary public safety topics and responsibilities; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence. The Graham Police Department was initially accredited under Chief Johnny Wehunt in 1998. In 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2020 the agency was re-accredited by CALEA.
CALEA maintains an access portal which allows for comment and feedback with regard to candidate agencies seeking initial accreditation or reaccreditation status. Please go to the CALEA website (www.calea.org) or see the link below if you would like to submit comments, commendations, and/or other information regarding the Graham Police Department’s quality of service or other information relevant to the accreditation process. We value your feedback in our efforts to continually improve our agency’s performance and service to our community.
The Graham Police Department participates in the CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation process. As a part of this process, we provide an opportunity for public feedback via the CALEA Portal which can be located here: https://cimrs2.calea.org/170
The purpose of this public portal is to receive comments regarding our compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide our agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster our pursuit of professional excellence.
It is important to know that CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgement to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.
Standard titles may be viewed on the CALEA website: Law Enforcement – Standards Titles | CALEA® | The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. Questions related to the accreditation process may be directed to the Graham Police Department Accreditation Manager.
NOTICE: CALEA maintains an access portal which allows for comment and feedback with regard to candidate agencies seeking initial accreditation or reaccreditation status. Please go to the CALEA website (www.calea.org) or see the link below if you would like to submit comments, commendations, and/or other information regarding the Graham Police Department’s quality of service or other information relevant to the accreditation process. We value your feedback in our efforts to continually improve our agency’s performance and service to our community.
Graham (NC) Police Department
The policies and annual reporting for the Graham Police Department are linked below. These reports and police policy documents have been provide for public viewing in the spirit of transparency.
Certain policies and documents may have been excluded. Those excluded policies may not be appropriate for inquiry or may pose a threat to the security and/or safety of Departmental operations.
Additional information may be obtained through the formal public document request process.
The Graham Police Department considers the Investigations of complaints regarding an employee’s actions or our policies to be one of our most important missions.
Our Internal Affairs (IA) Function is commanded by the Assistant Chief and includes supervisors who have received specific training in internal affairs investigative procedures investigate all complaints objectively and thoroughly. Through this function, we examine our practices closely and investigate allegations and circumstances that may not meet our expectations, or the expectations of our community. We provide a summary of those investigations to the public annually to show transparency and accountability.
Who May Register a Complaint?
A complaint may be made by any resident and can be made by telephone, in person or online. In the event an internal affairs investigator is not available to take a complaint, a complaint may be submitted to the desk officer or any member of the Police Department holding the rank of sergeant or above. All complaints will be forwarded to the Assistant Chief for processing.
You may file a complaint against a member of the GPD within 60 days of an incident using one of these four ways.
- Online using this GPD Complaint Form
- By mail: Filling out this printable GPD Complaint Form to
Graham Police Department
Attention: Assistant Chief
216 South Maple Street
Graham, NC 27253 - In person: by visiting from 8 am to 4:30pm Mondays through Fridays at the
~ (address above) - By calling: from 8 am to 4:30 pm Mondays through Fridays at 336-570-6711
Complaint Process
Once filed, a complaint is thoroughly investigated. A report is prepared which includes taped and / or signed statements from the complainant, the accused and all witnesses. The completed investigative report also includes a narrative summary of the events and a finding of facts as determined by the taped and / or signed statements of those involved. The finalized report will be reviewed by the employee’s chain of command. The chain of command will recommend case disposition, and disciplinary action if necessary to the Chief of Police. In all cases, the officer is notified of the disposition. A complainant will not be told the level of discipline that an employee receives due to the Personnel Privacy Act but will be notified that the investigation has concluded.
Command Staff
Meet the Command staff, the core administration of the Graham Police Department. The Chief of Police forms the head of administration. She is responsible for managing and directing the overall operations of the department. The Command staff is further comprised of the Assistant Chief, Captain – Criminal Investigations, Captain – Support Services, and the Captain – Patrol Division.
Chief Neil
Chief Neil brings nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience across local, state, and federal levels. He most recently served with Elon University Campus Police and previously spent 24 years with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, where he rose to Special Agent in Charge and Director of the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAAC)—North Carolina’s state fusion center.
Throughout his career, he has led teams in criminal investigations, intelligence operations, counterterrorism, and crisis response. His work has also included staff development, technology integration, budgeting, and community outreach.
A long-time Alamance County resident, Chief Neil has lived in this area for more than 32 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Elon College and is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leadership Program.