In an effort to ensure everyone has a fun and safe Halloween, the Asheville Police Department has these safety tips: Safety at Home: • Turn on exterior home light • Keep walkways free of obstructions • Don’t allow anyone in your home that you don’t know Costume Safety: • Choose bright colored costumes. If dark colored costumes are selected, affix reflective [...]
On Tuesday, October 29, the city tragically lost a member of the Asheville Police Department family in the line of duty. Officer Bingaman was driving across the French Broad River when the patrol vehicle he was driving left the Captain Jeff Bowen Bridge. Despite the great efforts of emergency personnel and APD officers who responded [...]
Fire engines and police cruisers alike lit up on September 17 at the Murphy-Oakley Community Center and Fire Station Building, but they were not responding to an emergency. The blue and red lights were flashing in celebration of a high-speed communication connection that means better and faster service responses by Asheville’s emergency responders. The City of [...]
This summer’s rainfall certainly put Asheville on the charts, making it the second-wettest city in the U.S., according to the National Climactic Data Center. And the rainfall was not without its costs. Landslides, sinkholes and flooding were all impacts of the high volume of rain. From time to time, the City of Asheville experiences extraordinary weather [...]
On Friday, August 16, the Carolina Brotherhood, a group of firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel riding 700 miles across North and South Carolina in honor of their fallen comrades, rode into downtown Asheville on their way to their final stop in Boone. The group of bicyclists included Asheville’s own Landon Davis, Dan Flinn, Joe Hallam, [...]
Asheville Police Officer Boyd McCaskill says he gets a lot of thumbs up from passers by when he is patrolling his beat in the Downtown Business District. Some of that can be credited to the community outreach and increased visibility of the APD’s downtown unit, but he also thinks it has to do with his [...]
The Asheville Police Department and the City of Asheville is proud to announce the promotion of five APD officers at a May 8 ceremony at City Hall. Sgt. Janice Hawkins and Sgt. Curtis Jones were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Detective Keith Cloer, Senior Police Officer Mike McClanahan, and Senior Police Officer Brandon Moore were [...]
From the City of Asheville’s YouTube channel: Officers with the Asheville Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit talk about Crash Reduction Areas, an effort that focuses attention on areas with high rates of vehicle accidents. New Leicester Highway, Fairview Road and Patton Avenue all rose to the top of the list in the last year [...]
Three Asheville Police Officers took on new roles at a Jan. 31 ceremony at Asheville City Hall, with two receiving promotions and another filling a major leadership role in the department. Lts. Stony Gonce and Christopher Reece-Young were both promoted to the rank of Captain at the ceremony and sworn in by Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy. Reece-Young [...]
The Asheville Police Department and the City of Asheville’s Traffic Engineering Division work together to promote pedestrian safety. The below video documents a recent operation by the APD focusing on motorists who do not stop for pedestrians, as well as pedestrians who do not cross at specified crossings. The City of Asheville asks that motorists abide [...]
This week, the Asheville Police Department and the City of Asheville celebrated the career of Captain Sarah Benson, who retired after 23 years service on the force. Benson was the first woman to achieve the rank of Captain on the APD. Benson joined the Asheville police department in 1989, serving in many capacities including patrol and [...]
The City of Asheville Police Department celebrated the graduation its largest Citizens Police Academy class to date on Nov. 23. Forty-three people took part in the 13-week program, including seven high school students participating for their senior projects, making this the biggest class since the academy began in 1991. “Any time we can involve the participation [...]