City responds to record request for preliminary consulting documents

In response to an open records request, the City of Asheville today released preliminary incomplete documents related to an ongoing assessment of opportunities for improvement at the Asheville Police Department.

The documents are working documents related to an assessment being conducted by Matrix Consulting Group. The organizational assessment from Matrix Consulting Group is expected to be finalized no later than March. The report is one of 3 elements underway designed to support the Asheville Police Department’s implementation of its strategic operating plan.
The City of Asheville notes the information in the document is incomplete, preliminary and not representative of a final, constructive product.

However, in complying with North Carolina open records law, the city is providing the attached documents. This information was shared with APD personnel for the first time on the same day as release to the media. The City recognizes release of preliminary and incomplete information could be detrimental to the department’s good efforts to enact positive change and regrets the information must be distributed without context and the benefit of a complete assessment. The City recognizes transparency is important to good government and stands behind its record of providing access to public records.

Documents Released