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 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. And the most recent one-year look, from 2020 to 2021, shows a 6 percent decrease. The Justice Departments Bureau of Justice Statistics samples U.S. households about crime victimization each year. 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. "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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Of the reported robberies in 2020, 26 percent of the victims were strangers. You can choose from several pre-selected date ranges and define the radius of your search parameter from an eighth of a mile to a mile. But the question then is really whats the new normal going to be?. There certainly are people that are at higher risk, Manheimer said. When police departments add or lose officers, theres not a direct correlation in crime, Herrmann said. Cities across the country are hiring after losing officers in the past couple of years. It refers to a period ending in 2020, when crime had increased nationwide. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sheriff Miller said, Fentanyl is killing our folks locally, as it is across North Carolina and the U.S. Police took Dixon and Furr were taken into custody. Asheville will not be a vacation destination. "Our staff is working around the clock to follow up on instances of reports that have been taken.". They see people who are mentally unwell walking down the center of the street, talking to themselves, and they are fearful, Manheimer said. "It's just been like a perfect storm of events and circumstances that are driving officers out of the profession who have a significant amount of time and experience invested. Asheville police offer tips to deter local business break-ins; What What they show is over half of serious crime doesnt even get reported to the police, Herrmann said. However, our ads are for local businesses and are unobstrusive. Are armed gang members or drug dealers coming into Asheville from Charlotte, Atlanta or other cities? Robberies are also up, 29%. But the sheriff said, We didnt see an increase as far as crimes being committed., Anonline versionof the Fox News report said, without citing any details, that there was evidence in Asheville of increased Mexican drug cartel activity in the area, according to multiple law enforcement sources who spoke to Fox News Digital.. Crime Map for Asheville, NC. "Evil is real. Crime is a serious issue and one that I hear about as a top concern for our community, said Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer. What Ive learned over the years is you can apparently slice and dice crime data however youd like, Manheimer said. POLICE IN NORTH CAROLINA TOURIST TOWN REVEAL WORSENING VIOLENT CRIME STATS FOLLOWING FOX NEWS REPORT Chuckie McKelvey, who Heres what the stats do say about crime in Asheville and whos at risk: Blacks make up 11 percent of Ashevilles population but account for 31 percent of violent crime victims. 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. According to the police department, evidence showed that another suspect was involved in the robbery. Community Crime Map allows users to choose a date range to view criminal activity (up to one year), to select which crimes to view and the opportunity to sign up for a neighborhood watch report that automatically generates an email breakdown of recent criminal activity specific to a particular area. (Walter Bibikow via Getty Images). UNC Asheville takes on South Carolina Upstate in Big South And the most recent one-year look, from 2020 to 2021, shows a 6% decrease. Among many other features, SimpliCity provides crime statistics for the address. And I think the community that is there now doesn't have that resolve. WebThe rate of crime in Asheville is 34.46 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. I think they're more of an enabling community, and I don't see it getting any better.". Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. WebSince this Sub seems to only want to re-post Fox News specifically so they can deflect from the real crime problem Asheville has, here's the actual story of business owners fed up Asheville Asheville and Western North Carolina news, investigative reporting, city and county government news. (Daniell_Photography via Getty Images), Writing how he had come to believe that police were tasked beyond their capacity with "stopping societal issues and disorder," Wilson concluded that law enforcement solutions are merely "a Band-Aid" on such profound problems and that "strong communities are the real remedy. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. WHY do they have NO ability to run a safe city ? 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.. The one positive trend in the report is a reduction in gun crime. An Asheville Police Department vehicle parked in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Is the violence centered in or near public housing? We want everyone to have access to our stories. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Sheriff Miller said, Fentanyl is killing our folks locally, as it is across North Carolina and the U.S. Asheville Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Each year, aggravated assaults made up the majority of Ashevilles violent crimes, accounting for about two-thirds to nearly three-quarters. But the raging crime, carjackings and Mexican drug cartel activity described by Fox News? Do the people involved have criminal histories for violence or drugs? 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. "Crime will continue to rise when there is no accountability for subjects of a crime," the officer said. Last updated or reviewed on October 24, 2022. Nearly 60 percent of Ashevilles aggravated assault victims in 2020 were relatives or acquaintances of their attacker. Dixon has a $5,000 bond and Furrs bond is $15,500. 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. An Asheville Police Department vehicle parked in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The Community Crime Map is available on the Asheville Police Departments website by clicking on the crime mapping icon or atcommunitycrimemap.com. Get out! One in five were strangers. 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. We havent really seen as you would call it the cartel, he said. The suspects left with more than $10,000 in merchandise and attempted to destroy the alarm system while inside, police said. The Buncombe county commissioners have stood with me 100%, he said, supporting pay raises and new equipment. And the most recent one And its not typically random., Asheville Watchdog made three requests over two days to interview Asheville Police Chief David Zack about crime trends, but Davis said he has a very busy schedule., Zack did find time to talk to Fox News and said the exodus of more than 100 officers since May 2020 had limited the departments ability to be proactive and visible. Asheville Watchdogsent the police department a list of questions about the increases: How many are drug- or gang-related? Community Crime Map provides basic information about the incidents, including the type of crime, location type, block-level address, date and time. WebASHEVILLE A McDowell County man is among those snared in a sweeping investigation into drugs and guns in western North Carolina, federal officials said Monday. We hope youll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. 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. ", Asheville drew national attention this summer when Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, a local faith-based crisis pregnancy center, was among several similar pro-life establishments nationwide that were vandalized in June by the radical, Antifa-affiliated pro-abortion group "Jane's Revenge.". The monument stood in the center of downtown Asheville for 123 years before the city dismantled it in 2021. Crime information is available dating back to calendar year 2012. Can you bring your vape pen or e-cigarette on a plane? Crime Map. Violent crime murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault went down in Asheville in 2021. (pawel.gaul via Getty Images). Like other cities struggling with crime such as Los Angeles and New York City, Asheville has lost more than 100 officers since May 2020. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. It looks like you're using ad blocking technology. Zack told Fox News that Asheville is operating with nearly 42% fewer officers every single day.The department has 61 vacancies out of 238 sworn officers and another 26 in training or on leave, Davis said. We hope you give us a chance and whitelist our website. Women accounted for nearly half of all violent crime victims in Asheville (46%), while men committed 80% of the crimes, according to data reported to the FBI for 2020, the latest year available. It is a continuation of this theme of, You should worry. Since the beginning of 2022, Asheville has seen an uptick in aggravated assaults, defined as attacking someone with the intent of causing severe injury. Rates of homelessness have increased 21% since 2021, according to data released in May. For instance, Wilmington, a city of 115,000 people on North Carolinas east coast, had double the number of murders as Asheville but a lower overall violent crime rate: 685 violent crimes per 100,000 population versus Ashevilles 805. All rights reserved. CRIME SOARS IN DEM-RUN TOURIST TOWN, said the chyron. I think overall the national trend is things are kind of getting back to normal. 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.. Asheville Police Department releases online crime statistics Asheville Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The crime information can be viewed on a map or a data grid. There is also evidence of increased Mexican drug cartel activity in the area, according to multiple law enforcement sources who spoke to Fox News Digital. Duncan, who was a longtime registered Democrat, retired as sheriff and became politically unaffiliated in 2018, citing "an anti-law enforcement sentiment in the Democratic Party right now," according to the Asheville Citizen-Times. More people today are armed with weapons and guns, said Miller, an Asheville native. Is our community unsafe as the picture is painted by Fox News? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mayor Manheimer said, Fox News is doing their best to try to highlight these evil Democrat blue cities like New York and Chicago and L.A., and I guess now were going to focus on Asheville. 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. I think overall the national trend is things are kind of getting back to normal. Youre not safe walking down the sidewalk. And thats not the case in Asheville., Fox News host Tucker Carlson last week took aim at Manheimer, whom he described as wearing complicated eyeglasses that all the girl bosses now wear. Under her leadership, Carlson claimed, Asheville as a beautiful place should have no crime, but it has a lot now. And he said Asheville had a lot of carjackings.. Radical abortionist group pledges violence after Roe overturned; Kristi Brown joins 'The Story' with response. Market data provided by Factset. Legal Statement. I wear Foxs contempt for the town I was born in, raised in, and continue to live in, as a badge of honor! Chad Nesbitt, the former chair of the Buncombe County GOP who now works as a local investigative journalist, attributed some of the city's problems to Antifa's presence in Asheville, which he described as "the hub of Antifa" in the region. See here for our terms of service. 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. Fox News publishes article on Asheville's increase in violent crime Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Duncans successor, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller, toldAsheville Watchdog, Weve seen some violent crime numbers go up, but like Asheville Police, the Sheriffs Office saw a decline in violent crimes in 2021. Much of Asheville's violent crime trend can be attributed to aggravated assaults, according to an APD spokesperson. Joe Silberman of the Asheville Police Department (APD) said Wednesday, according to local outlet WLOS. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. (Fox News Digital). (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. Basic information about the incidents, such as the type of crime, location type, block-level address, and date and time, is also available. 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. I love Asheville and everything it offers but am sad to see the decline. The 31 percent increase is not current. 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. Time for your type, the type to dehumanize and belittle anything white and male to be held accountable for your casual racism and sexism like the rest of us are. He also said that "officers are very, very frustrated" with low bail. Dixon was charged with felony possession of stolen property. WebASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) New data from the Asheville Police Department (APD) shows the city's violent crimes are up 34% this year compared to 2021. No, absolutely not.. One in five were strangers. Do the people involved have criminal histories for violence or drugs? Hes not alone. The Asheville Police crime dashboard shows crimes against people down 10 percent in the past year and crimes against property down 20 percent. Lets Eat at Waynes Lunchbox in Spindale, N.C. 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