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Asheville Police Department to host new Junior Police Academy

  The Asheville Police Department is excited to announce the first offering of a Junior Police Academy. This new program is designed for youth ages 14-19 who have a serious interest in pursuing a career in law enforcement. Topics will include criminal law, investigations, narcotics, patrol/arrest techniques, and physical training. All classes are designed to incorporate both [...]

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Get to know Asheville Police Department’s K9 officers

The Asheville Police Department (APD) K-9 unit is one “ruff” division. But seriously, all jokes aside, these K9s and their partners provide a valuable service to our community. They help keep drugs off the streets, track suspects, and find missing people. On top of all that, they keep our police officers safe! Not just any [...]

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Asheville City Council approves resident-requested speed limit changes

   Slow down, Asheville. For safety, of course. City residents have asked for lower speed limits on a number of our streets. In response to those requests the City performed traffic engineering studies to assess the feasibility of doing so. N.C. General Statute 20-141 gives the City the authority to regulate speed limits within [...]

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City Manager names David Zack as Asheville Police Chief

After an extensive national search, Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell is happy to announce that David Zack will become the city’s next Chief of Police, effective Feb. 4. Chief Zack has served as Police Chief of Cheektowaga, N.Y., for nine years and brings over 30 years of police experience. Cheektowaga is similar in size to Asheville [...]

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2020 City of Asheville initiatives: What to look for in the new year

With a new year comes new programs, facility improvements and projects to improve our community. Here’s a look ahead at 10 Asheville City government initiatives as we ring in not only a new year, but a new decade  in 2020. Civic Center gets Harrah’s Cherokee name  The year 2020 will start with excitement for the newly named Harrah’s Cherokee Center — [...]

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Residents invited to register for APD’s spring Citizen’s Police Academy

The Asheville Police Department (APD) is now inviting residents to apply for the spring semester of the Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA). Participants in this free course will learn about the daily work and operations of APD, while also giving the department an opportunity to obtain valuable feedback from the community. The course will begin on March [...]

Year in review: Asheville Police Department looks back at 2019 

Another eventful year is in the books for Asheville Police Department (APD)! As we look forward to not only a new year, but a new decade, APD would like to thank partner organizations and community members for supporting APD and contributing to what makes Asheville a wonderful place to live, work, and visit. We hope [...]

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Asheville Police Department to add patrol district, realign existing districts in 2020

Beginning in January 2020, the Asheville Police Department (APD) will add a new patrol district, as well as realign existing patrol districts. These changes will directly impact APD’s ability to deliver public safety services citywide through improved response times, increased community policing efforts, and enhanced relationships with community stakeholders. In response to increasing calls for service [...]

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Community invited to meet finalists for Asheville Police Chief

The City of Asheville invites the community to meet the final candidates for the next chief of the Asheville Police Department.  In partnership with Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) consultants, a nationwide search was performed and the candidate pool has been narrowed.  Join us at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17,  on the First [...]

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NAMI Western Carolina Awards Asheville Police Officer with Distinguished Award

On Dec. 5, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Western Carolina affiliate awarded the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year for 2019. The Asheville Police Department (APD) is honored that NAMI WC recognized Senior Police Officer (SPO) Justin Booth. SPO Booth has been with the Asheville Police Department since 2008. He is an [...]

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Asheville Police share winter holiday safety tips to deter crime

Asheville Police Department This holiday season, don’t let the spirit of giving lull you into giving thieves a chance to do their dirty work. Homes jam-packed with glittering gifts. Stores, malls, and downtown streets teeming with unsuspecting shoppers. People rushing around, stressed out and careless, looking for last-minute gifts, trying to get everything done. It’s enough [...]

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Package theft prevention tips from the Asheville Police Department

It’s the time of year for holiday cheer! These days, many people are ordering gifts online, meaning packages are often delivered to the house when residents aren’t home. Unfortunately, unattended packages can be a target for thieves, also known as porch pirates. Take these steps to safeguard your packages from theft. Consider arranging to have packages delivered to neighbors who [...]