Speakers want fired Greensboro officer off of Graham police force

Speakers at a Graham City Council meeting Tuesday demanded the firing of a city police officer after video surfaced showing him pinning a young man against a car during an arrest.

Protestors left the meeting disappointed calling for the firing Graham police officer Douglas Strader. He was terminated from the Greensboro police department in 2020 after he fired his gun at a fleeing vehicle. He was also part of a group of officers involved in the 2018 death of Marcus Smith. Smith died in custody after police used a controversial method of restraint similar to a hog-tie. 

Strader was hired by the Graham Police Department six months after his firing.

Speakers at the meeting including Rev. Curtis Gatewood demanded the city fire Strader after video surfaced of him using force to detain a young man at an apartment complex last month.

“If you do not remove Doug Strader immediately, you are on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of God, you're on the wrong side of law enforcement,” he says.

Graham Mayor Jennifer Talley told the protesters that the Council does not have the power to fire city workers. That responsibility lies with City Manager Megan Garner.

Talley also read a statement from Graham Police Chief Kristy Cole saying the incident is being reviewed using body-worn cameras, vehicle cameras and interviews of witnesses.

The Council moved on to other routine business without directly addressing the speakers' concerns.