Recent developments in Asheville’s local law enforcement strategies have come to light, following a public announcement made by its Police Department Chief, Mike Lamb, on Monday, Sept. 23. The primary shift in policing strategy focuses on crucial modifications in the patrol jurisdictions of two out of the city’s three police districts. The city’s ‘Charlie’ district is undergoing realignment to encompass the downtown zone, its surrounding areas, and North Asheville. Additionally, the ‘Baker’ district’s revised perimeter will now include South and East Asheville.
The broad-scale rearrangements are aimed at providing enhanced policing services to several key areas of each district. The emphasis is on recalibrating police response times, predominantly in high-risk zones, to potentially violent crimes—an approach strategized to improve overall city safety. By honing in on sectors with a higher prevalence of such incident rates, the idea is to optimally allocate police resources and interventions.
With four officers now assigned to patrol the downtown business sector – double the prior deployment – the ‘Charlie’ district is set to receive an additional layer of surveillance. This concentrated precinct presence strives to deliver quicker responses to distress calls, particularly in the downtown area and the city’s largest collection of public housing complexes. The vicinity, as rationalized by Lamb, experiences a higher frequency of violent crimes compared to other Asheville areas.
A call to additional officers is also being made, during their overtime periods, to increase patrolling services in the ‘Charlie’ district. The area’s alarmingly high violence rates – encompassing aggravated assaults, murders, and rapes – necessitate the enhancement of police visibility and availability. Officer reinforcement and redistribution are positioned at the heart of this new strategy, embodying an acute response to the district’s considerable crime activities.
An acknowledged factor that influences these strategic shifts—a deficit in law enforcement personnel—dates back to a significant number of officer departures four years ago. This setback, according to Lamb, significantly disrupted police operations in 2020, calling for immediate modifications to be made in light of the officer shortage.
Meanwhile, the boundaries of West Asheville’s ‘Adam’ district remain unchanged. This area, extending to the Smokey Park Highway and I-40, will continue to be patrolled by an estimated eight officers per 12-hour shift. Similarly, the ‘Baker’ district for East Asheville, reaching as far as Airport Road on the south side of East Tunnel Road, will average with nine officers on duty per shift.
These modified districts, both ‘Baker’ and ‘Adam’, comparatively outrival the central and north ‘Charlie’ district in terms of physical size. However, despite this disparity, the targeted allocation of officers is intended to ensure uniformity in the policing presence across the city.
While attention to violent crimes remains a top priority for the APD, other types of crimes, such as thefts, albeit significant, are assigned a lesser degree of urgency. This ranking in priorities may have resulted in slower investigations of these cases. An unsolved case, for instance, involved a theft of possessions amounting to a loss of around $3,600, including a bass guitar, amplifiers, an iPad, and a MacBook Pro.
Another pertinent instance bringing this issue to light involved a theft case in the downtown area. The victim of this crime reported substantial losses, amounting to thousands of dollars in cash and personal belongings. A related police report points out that one victim, named Morgan, suffered losses exceeding $5,000, comprising her purse, wallet, and $275 in cash.
This incidence of crime and an apparent lack of follow-up was a source of disappointment for Morgan, who did not receive any subsequent contact from the APD regarding her case. Instances like this underline some residents’ disconcertment with the city’s crime rates and its perceived handling.
Despite such setbacks, Police Chief Lamb asserts the department’s commitment to strengthening Asheville’s law enforcement staff. Recent reports highlighted encouraging recruitment numbers, potentially introducing approximately 30 new cadets to the department’s ranks. If realized, this would represent the largest increase in staffing levels within the past six years.
The department’s recruitment pathway involves an exhaustive screening process for candidates, ensuring only the most suitable ones are selected for the basic training academy for the APD. This rigorous process serves the goal of assembling a capable police force equipped to handle the city’s diverse range of enforcement needs.
Looking towards the future, Chief Lamb has proposed the reestablishment of the downtown bike patrol team, a traffic enforcement squad, and a possible task force specifically dedicated to patrolling the city’s public housing sites. This proposition aligned with existing high crime rate data in these areas and further underpins the renewed emphasis on tackling violent crime.
In closing, Chief Lamb pointed towards concerning statistics, highlighting an escalating trend in pedestrian and vehicle-related fatalities. With a record number of deaths last year, the city is at risk of experiencing its highest rate of such fatalities this year. This projection further underscores the critical need for the ongoing realignment of the Asheville Police Department’s operations.