ASHEVILLE – The city saw a record drop in crime last year, including decreases in violence and property crime, despite a force that is understaffed and in need of more officers to fill vacancies that persist since mass resignations three years ago, according to police.
The city’s historic crime reduction came in 2023 after a six-year high in violent crime in 2022 and a 2019 property crime peak, recent Asheville Police Department data shows. The decrease happened while APD endured vacancies of nearly a third of its sworn officer positions. Currently, 27% or 65 of the 238 sworn officer positions are vacant.
In a Jan. 23 presentation to the City Council’s Environment and Safety Committee, APD staff said the vacancy rate was 32%. But the department’s staffing data transparency dashboard said 27% on Jan. 24, a number department spokesperson Samantha Booth said was the most accurate.
On average 16 officers are patrolling the city at one time. With more staff that would be 24, APD staff said.
Some observers noting the 18% reduction in violent crime and 13% drop in property crime in 2023, questioned the need to fill those positions.