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GREENSBORO — Unable to hire more officers for its new gang unit, the police department is scavenging from the community policing section to staff it.

To create two gang squads, the department is doing away with two community resource teams — squads devoted to community policing and crime prevention.

That move puts more of that burden on the two remaining community resource teams.

"It's not an ideal plan, it's not the best-case scenario," said Assistant Chief Harold Scott. Scott heads the patrol division, the section losing 14 officers to the gang unit. "Basically, we're going to have to do more with less," he said.

But officials also expect the gang squads to take some of the burden off those teams.

"It's not going to be an easy adjustment, but we're willing to try it and see what we can do," Scott said. "In the long run, when we address the gangs, it might alleviate some of the community problems, too."

On Tuesday, the City Council told police Chief Tim Bellamy they would find money next year to fund a 20-member gang unit.

Meanwhile, the department is creating a smaller gang enforcement team, taking 14 officers from community resource teams within the patrol division and putting them in the investigation division.

Nobody is saying it will be easy.

"Without a doubt, I'm concerned," Scott said. "We've just got to take it day by day."

"Until we get the manpower issues resolved, we're just doing the best we can," he said.

After four homicides this summer attributed to gang violence, authorities believe they had no choice but to act.

"This isn't about kids flunking out of school," Scott said. "This is about kids losing their life."

Assistant Chief D.K. Crotts said the short-term pain of waiting longer to have a community resource officer respond to a neighborhood dispute is well worth the long-term gain in reduced crime by bringing gangs under control.

Crotts leads the investigative division, which will gain officers for the gang unit.

"We'll have some growing pains with it initially," Crotts said. "Some things are going to suffer in the meantime and we'll all have to do something to pick up the load."

One benefit Crotts anticipates is that the gang unit may lighten the workload of the community resource teams — by investigating some break-ins and drug crimes and attending some community meetings.

Many times, it is community resource officers who are called when a gathering of teenagers makes neighbors uncomfortable.

"Some may (already) be doing a lot of what we're asking our gang units to do," Crotts said.

The gang teams will be

devoted to monitoring gang activity and keeping other

officers, school resource officers and communities informed.

They also will identify people who associate with gang members and refer those youths to the parks and recreation staff tasked with intervention.

"We'll see if we can stop them before they start to participate in criminal activity," Crotts said.

Contact Sonja Elmquist at 373-7090 or selmquist@news-record.com