ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Asheville Police Chief David Zack updated city leaders on the latest crime data and the department’s recruitment efforts during Tuesday’s Environment and Safety Committee meeting.

“2022 violent crime trended at historically high rates, both nationally and in Asheville,” Chief Zack said.

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According to the department’s presentation, violent crime increased 17.4% from 2021 to 2022. Violent crime includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. During the same time period, Asheville saw a 21.8% increase in aggravated assaults.

“This is really what’s driving our violent crime numbers, and this is where we’re trying to isolate those areas and be able to deploy officers as effectively as possible to be able to get those numbers down,” Zack said.

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One thing limiting the department’s efforts is the ongoing officer shortages, making what Zack called “sustained presence” very difficult currently.

“In spite of the serious deficit of resources, we are aggressively deploying officers to respond to various types of crimes, especially violent crime,” he said.

According to Zack, the department is finding success in targeted operations. He detailed a targeted breaking-and-entering and window-smashing operation in downtown Asheville that led to 14 arrests, a targeted shoplifting operation that led to 73 arrests, and targeted patrols to reduce aggravated assaults that led to 60 arrests.

“We are seeing significant progress when we conduct these targeted operations, so hopefully, we’ll be able to sustain that, continue to monitor our data, and continue to deploy our resources as best as we possibly can and have the greatest possible effect,” Zack said.

Department leaders say recruitment and staffing also play a role in reducing crime. APD is currently working EPIC Recruiting to address the officer shortages by launching a recruitment website and targeted social media campaigns.

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“What we’re seeing nationally is a lack of interest in the profession, so now we’re targeting two things, not just getting them to work here for us, but getting them to want to have interest in the profession all together,” Captain Brandon Moore said.

Ten officers will complete field training in May, and four officers are currently in Basic Law Enforcement Training, with graduation expected in July. APD is processing eight applications for a July Basic Law Enforcement Training course.

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To watch APD’s full presentation below:

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