Asheville, North Carolina, a fast-growing city, has become a more dangerous place to live in recent times. The police department announced that they would no longer be responding to certain 911 calls due to a severe shortage of staff. Since January 2020, numerous cops have resigned, leaving the people of Asheville vulnerable to crime.
Police Chief David Zack of the Asheville Police Department attributed the mass exodus of law enforcement officers to the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. The situation is so dire that the department has decided to stop providing essential services to residents because they don’t have enough cops to respond to every 911 call.
Zack instructed his officers to stop responding to low-level offenses so they could focus on more serious crimes. He explained to the Asheville City Council that the shortage of officers was severe, stating, “This is what it looks like when you lose 50% of your detectives.”
However, experts disagree with Zack’s approach, warning that the lack of police presence could result in increased crime rates across the city.
But according to Zach, the department will no longer respond to certain types of crimes including the following:
- Theft under $1,000 where there is no suspect information (this does not include stolen vehicles or guns)
- Theft from a vehicle where there is no suspect information
- Minimal damage and/or graffiti to property where there is no suspect information
- Non-life threatening harassing phone calls (does not include incidents that are related to domestic violence and/or stalking
- Fraud, scams, or identity theft
- Simple assaults that are reported after they have occurred
- Reports that do not require immediate police actions and/or enforcement (information only reports)
- Funeral escorts
- Lost/found property
- Trespassing where the property owner does not want to press charges
With a budget of $30 million, the Asheville Police Department started the year with 238 officer positions to fill. As of Saturday, only 167 of those jobs had been filled, and the department continues to lose approximately six officers every month, according to data obtained by the Citizen-Times. Before the exodus of officers, it took the police department 7.7 minutes to get an officer to the scene of a crime. Now, it takes the cops closer to 10.6 minutes to respond to calls.
Despite the decrease in police officers, some residents have stated that violent offenses have not increased. These individuals believe that the unfilled jobs should remain unfilled, with one citizen stating during a City Council meeting, “A 50% reduction in detectives and 30% reduction in officers and no change in crime? Good. Cut their budget in half. That’s all the justification you need.”
However, many experts believe that the absence of police will lead to a rise in crime throughout the city. Without enough police officers to respond to calls, criminals could take advantage of the slow police response and the lack of response to many calls.
Asheville residents have expressed their concerns about the situation, with many worried about their safety. The shortage of police officers has already begun to impact their daily lives, and they fear that it will only get worse.
The situation in Asheville is not unique, as many cities across the country have experienced similar issues. The events of the past year have led to widespread mistrust.
Regardless of where one stands on the issue, it’s clear that the staffing shortage in Asheville is having a real impact on the community. The police department’s decision to stop responding to certain types of calls is a concerning development, and it remains to be seen how the city will respond to the situation.
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