Photos: Hundreds attend Asheville’s National Night Out

Some 800 people attended Asheville’s National Night Out Aug. 4, 2015, in Pack Square Park. National Night Out is a nationwide outreach program designed to bring neighborhoods together to strengthen community spirit and promote collaboration and trust between residents and local law enforcement. Asheville Police Department, Buncombe County Sheriff’s office and Asheville Fire Department members were [...]

Updated with video: National Night Out

The Asheville Police Department (APD), Asheville Fire Department (AFD), and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) will host a local National Night Out (NNO) event 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville. National Night Out is a nationwide outreach program brings neighborhoods together to strengthen community spirit and promote [...]

Asheville area law enforcement officers receive bicycle/pedestrian laws training

Asheville area law enforcement officers recently received special training about enforcing bicycle and pedestrian safety laws as part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Watch for Me NC campaign.   Representatives from the Asheville Police Department’s Downtown Unit and the Traffic Safety Unit attended a one-day seminar July 22 at Asheville-Buncombe Community Technical College. The training [...]

Asheville Police Department swears in five new officers

On July 8, the Asheville Police Department swore in five new officers. These officers were the most recent graduates of the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course. The 620-hour course is spread over 16 weeks. Training is comprised of 36 separate blocks of instruction to include topics such as firearms, driver training, motor vehicle law, [...]

Asheville Police accepting applications for fall Citizen’s Policy Academy

The Asheville Police Department invites residents to apply for the fall semester of the Citizen’s Police Academy. This free program gives participants insight into the philosophy and policies that govern the Asheville Police Department’s service to the community. The class is designed to give residents an appreciation for the problems and challenges facing law enforcement, [...]

Asheville Police to hold ‘Walk with a Cop’

The Asheville Police Department will hold its first “Walk with a Cop” event at 8 a.m. June 27. This event offers a chance for citizens to get to know the officers who patrol their communities every day. It is also an opportunity for the public to ask questions and express concerns, as well as to [...]

New moped registration law will help with enforcement

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, an estimated 17,000 mopeds are being operated on North Carolina roads. Beginning July 1, 2015, a new law, G.S. 20-53.4, requires moped drivers to register their mopeds and pay the same fees as motorcyclists. A moped, by definition, cannot exceed 30 miles per hour on a level surface and [...]

City of Asheville announces new police chief

ASHEVILLE – After an extensive national search, the city of Asheville announced today that Tammy Hooper will become the city’s next police chief, effective July 20, 2015. The current Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Alexandria, Va., Hooper brings 26 years of police experience to her new role in Asheville. Hooper held a variety [...]

Asheville narrows police chief search to four finalists

  Original post Four candidates have been selected as finalists in Asheville’s search for a Chief of Police. They are: Robert Buckman: Chief Deputy of the Loudoun County, Va., Sheriff Office Operations Bureau, Lt. Colonel Buckman has been with the department 33 years. He leads 400 people in the Operations Bureau, including 360 sworn deputies in the Special [...]

Update: City to Livestream police chief finalists presentations

Update: Watch live tonight At 6 p.m. tonight (May 18), police chief finalists will make presentations on a pre-determined subject. Community members will have the opportunity to offer feedback on candidates through comment cards. The event happens at the Wilma Sherrill Center on the UNC-Asheville campus. The City will Livestream the presentation here. Video of the event [...]