But the raging crime, carjackings and Mexican drug cartel activity described by Fox News? South Carolina Upstate Spartans (16-14, 10-8 Big South) vs. UNC Asheville Bulldogs (25-7, 16-2 Big South) Charlotte, North Carolina; Saturday, 12 p.m. Crime news: Asheville homicide suspect was just out of prison before murder charge; transferred back. Are armed gang members or drug dealers coming into Asheville from Charlotte, Atlanta or other cities? Your chance of being a victim of crime in Asheville may be as high as 1 in 18 in the central neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 51 in the northeast part of the city. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. An officer currently with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office who spoke to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity attributed the exodus of officers to policy changes that hamstring them. Using the tool residents can view a map and grid with all of the crimes in their area and sign up for neighborhood watch reports that automatically email a breakdown of recent crime activity. The Community Crime Map is available on the Asheville Police Departments website by clicking on the crime mapping icon or atcommunitycrimemap.com. Former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan, who retired as sheriff and left the Democratic Party in 2018, recently told "Fox & Friends First" co-host Todd Pirro that local "anti-law enforcement sentiment" has contributed to the problems with police retention. They see people who are mentally unwell walking down the center of the street, talking to themselves, and they are fearful, Manheimer said. According to the police department, evidence showed that another suspect was involved in the robbery. Democratic Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by time of publication. FORMER DEMOCRAT SHERIFF BLAMES ANTI-COP RHETORIC, BAIL REFORM FOR CRIME SURGE IN POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION, APD Chief David Zack recently told Fox News Digital that his department is down more than 100 sworn officers since May 2020, and that they are struggling to maintain visibility while "operating at almost 42% down every single day.". Asheville is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Buncombe County, North Carolina, and has seen a 31% surge in violent crime per 100,000 people from 2016 to 2020. Asheville and Western North Carolina news, investigative reporting, city and county government news. People who live in Asheville generally consider the northeast part of the city to be the safest. The officer laid particular blame on Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams, a Democrat whose office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. You mean to tell me that Fox news manipulated statistics to fit the narrative of their agenda? Asheville once touted as a top-10 tourist destination back in 2017, but with crime raging, the city now ranks, get this, in the top 10 percent of most violent cities in America, anchor Todd Piro said. Simplicity allows you to search for any address within the city limits of Asheville. No, absolutely not., The Fox News report blamed Ashevilles left-leaning politicians for the citys purported violent crime problem. What are you even attempting to say? The bookstore did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Nesbitt said local Antifa have used Floyd's death "as an excuse to bring anarchy to this city," and pinpointed Firestorm Bookstore Co-op in West Asheville as the nexus of their activity. "And to do that, you have to have community resolve. Firestorm Bookstore Co-op in West Asheville, which has faced allegations of being a front for extremist Antifa activity. Much of Asheville's violent crime trend can be attributed to aggravated assaults, according to an APD spokesperson. We havent really seen as you would call it the cartel, he said. Since the beginning of 2022, Asheville has seen an uptick in aggravated assaults, defined as attacking someone with the intent of causing severe injury. When you tell me that your assaults are up, Im going to say you dont really know that because almost half of your assaults are probably not reported.. But the question then is really whats the new normal going to be?. He told Fox News Digital that police who do wrong must be held accountable, but also said officers both locally and around the country have become hesitant to do their jobs "because they can be right, but it can be the wrong set of facts, and they can still wind up in trouble. All rights reserved. Thats tough to believe.. "Crime will continue to rise when there is no accountability for subjects of a crime," the officer said. (George Rose via Getty Images), "I certainly think that with the losses that we have, our ability to be proactive and also our ability to be visible are partly causing some of the increases," the chief said of rising violent crime. But as far as Asheville being safe, I think its safe.. Manheimer said Ashevilles police department is understaffed, and were working hard to build back the ranks to be able to keep our community safe and respond to calls for service when the call is made.. What are the demographics of the offenders and victims, and are the weapons being used mostly guns? Cities across the country are hiring after losing officers in the past couple of years. He also said Antifa and activists were active in Asheville and described the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 as riots.. Miller said he has not encountered an anti-law enforcement sentiment. We understand, the web can be a dangerous place! Like other cities struggling with crime such as Los Angeles and New York City, Asheville has lost more than 100 officers since May 2020. ", "After 10 years at APD, I can say confidently that APD officers are good people with good hearts," he wrote. And the most recent one-year look, from 2020 to 2021, shows a 6% decrease. Asheville police body camera video shows two online journalists being arrested during the homeless camp encampment sweep and a simultaneous protest in December 2021. Manheimer said some people suspect crimes in Asheville are going unreported because of the police departments decision, beginning in June 2021, to no longer respond in-person to calls about theft, fraud and other non-serious crimes due to staffing shortages. I think I will need to see some evidence on this, or at least hear an argument made. Spurgeon has been charged with conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense, possession of stolen goods, larceny after breaking & entering and felony breaking & entering, according to police. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Change my mind. Nearly three-quarters were 29 or younger, and all but three were males. The Fox News report blamed Ashevilles left-leaning politicians for the citys purported violent crime problem. When police departments add or lose officers, theres not a direct correlation in crime, Herrmann said. ASHEVILLE - The city's violent crime has climbed to nearly double that of the national average, rising 31% in five years, according to recent police data that also APD Chief David Zack told Fox News Digital that the reasons behind the steady flood of resignations in his department are complicated and multi-faceted. Rates of homelessness have increased 21% since 2021, according to data released in May. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He was quoted as saying, There certainly have been questions about support [for police] from elected officials, from the president of the United States right on down, so its not just local leaders.. All rights reserved. The monument stood in the center of downtown Asheville for 123 years before the city dismantled it in 2021. And I think the community that is there now doesn't have that resolve. Becky Tin is a retired district court judge and lawyer. the mere fact that this is being presented nationally is disturbing and humilating. "I think what you're seeing in Asheville right now is a culmination of the last several years of pulling police back and not letting them do their jobs like they're able to do," former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. Ashevilles 5-year violent crime rate cited by Fox News, a 31% increase from 2016 to 2020, becomes a 15% increase from 2017 to 2021. Whether, Fox News got it wrong or right, really should not matter if everything is in excellent order here at home! For what purpose? Since the beginning of this year, violent crime is increasing, Davis said. WOMAN ROBBED AT KNIFEPOINT IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE The first armed robbery happened Saturday, Aug. 20, on the 300th block of South French Broad Avenue, where a woman was held at knifepoint. Cold Cases Missing Persons Daily Archive. Is the violence centered in or near public housing? In 2021, while Ashevilles police force was drastically reduced, violent crimedecreased. Joey Reece, who is now retired after serving 12 years as a state trooper and another 22 years as an agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the area, reflected sadly to Fox News Digital how Asheville has declined since he grew up there. All rights reserved. Crime perceptions are also shaped by more homeless people in and around downtown. Asheville was rated among the top 10 U.S. travel destinations according to Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards in 2016, and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority recently spent $1.3million in local tax dollars to advertise at the 2022 U.S. Open. We want everyone to have access to our stories. Is our community unsafe as the picture is painted by Fox News? Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. CRIME SOARS IN DEM-RUN TOURIST TOWN, said the chyron. "Because we've lost so many officers, and we're operating at almost 42% down every single day, officer presence and officer visibility are not what they were.". The Asheville Police Department is excited to announce a new free tool to help the public stay informed about crime in Asheville. There certainly are people that are at higher risk, Manheimer said. His letter was published on the front page of the local newspaper. Ashevilles 5-year violent crime rate cited by Fox News, a 31 percent increase from 2016 to 2020, becomes a 15 percent increase from 2017 to 2021. Buncombe County Courthouse, left, and Asheville City Hall, right, both of which are in the Downtown Asheville Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. WHY do they have NO ability to run a safe city ? WebWLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for And the most recent one From Asheville Watchdog: Fox News reports Asheville is crime-ridden, dangerous, Q&A: Regions top principal discusses her lifes devotion to education, Workers tell city leaders about fear and frustration over downtown crime, violence, From Asheville Watchdog: Merchants describe downtown Ashevilles descent into squalor and lawlessness, Fellowship to expand number of lawyers versed in evictions, housing issues, Safety, transit concerns raised at first Asheville budget meeting, Development roundup: Urgent care clinic, workforce housing proposed forCharlotte Highway. Nearly three-quarters were 29 or younger, and all but three were males. The 31% increase is not current. The robberies occurred in public and private places, including one-quarter in a street or alley, 16 percent in a residence, 15 percent in a parking lot or garage, and 10 percent in a convenience store. Skyline of downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Seems like everyone holding their breath for the Asheville-Buncombe Public Safety Strategy is a weird and scary interregnum. And the reference to Asheville being among the most violent cities came from an analysis, also based on 2020 data, that combined all violent crimes a potentially misleading way to view the statistics, said Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. No, absolutely not.. But the violence, the mayor said, is fairly isolated in our community. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting TIP2APD to 847411. Yep, sort of comical to watch the advertising/groveling for more and more guests continue while the city struggles to get its act in order. Please remember that.". And the reference to Asheville being among the most violent cities came from an analysis, also based on 2020 data, that combined all violent crimes a potentially misleading way to view the statistics, said Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.