Press release from Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office:
First, let me say thank you to our Buncombe County Commissioners and county leadership for their continued support of law enforcement. I believe this initiative will create a renewed feeling of safety in our downtown.
Over the past few weeks, Chief Lamb and I have engaged in a series of discussions and meetings that have been productive. Based on our conversations, I am optimistic that this downtown initiative will be a joint effort with APD. My leadership team will be meeting with APD’s leadership team soon for further discussion and I want to leave space for those meetings to bring forth the best possible ideas as to how to implement this downtown initiative.
I also want to be transparent about staffing from the Sheriff’s Office. This work will be an overtime assignment that is compensated at a rate of $75 per hour. Patrol and other normal duties of the Sheriff’s Office will not be impacted by this new initiative.
My intent is for these foot patrols to begin on January 26th. Within 90 days from the start of this downtown initiative, I will ensure that a release of data and an assessment are provided to the media and the public.
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