Sheriff Miller releases crime data ahead of Congressman Edwards’ summit

Press release from Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office:

“Congressman Edwards says Buncombe County is in danger of turning into Chicago. I expect that type of commentary from Fox News, however, his statement is not supported by the crime statistics from the NC SBI and it’s irresponsible to have a conversation about public safety that is not rooted in data,” says Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller.

To date in 2023, two homicides have occurred in Buncombe County. The statewide homicide rate per 100K persons was 9.7 for North Carolina in 2021. Buncombe County will in all likelihood continue to be below the statewide and national rate of homicides this year.

“Chicago’s 697 criminal homicides in 2022 were the most in the nation for the 11th-straight year,” according to a national report. The same report measured homicides per 100K, “New Orleans’ 2022 homicide rate of 74.3 homicides per 100,000 residents was the nation’s highest of the 75 cities surveyed. Rounding out the top 5 were St. Louis (68.2), Baltimore (58.1), Detroit (48.9) and Memphis (45.9).”

“To suggest that crime in Asheville or Buncombe County is anywhere near what is plaguing our largest cities makes for great politics, but simply isn’t based in reality,” says Sheriff Quentin Miller.  

Homicides have also been down year-over-year for the Sheriff’s Office. During 2022, there were four homicides for the reporting jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Office compared to seven in 2021, and one so far in 2023. The Sheriff’s Office has brought charges in all of the 16 homicides they have investigated during the last four years.

Data from the NC State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) concludes that crime in Buncombe is declining. Table 5 and Table 6 of the SBI’s most recent Annual Crime Report show a nine percent reduction in crime for the reporting area of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, Buncombe County as a whole saw a drop in the indexed crime rate from 3,375.7 to 3,012.8.

Despite Congressman Edwards’ narrative, Buncombe County does not have the highest crime rate in WNC according to the SBI data as shown in Table 6 of the report:

https://ncsbi.gov/Services/Crime-Statistics/Crime-in-North-Carolina-Annual-Summaries/2021-Annual-Summary.aspx

During 2022, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office crime statistics saw a significant decline in major crime categories compared to 2021. Larceny/Theft is down 24 percent, Breaking and Entering is down 23 percent, Motor Vehicle Theft is down 26 percent, Stolen Property is down 35 percent, and Robbery is down more than 50 percent. 

This drop in property crimes for the Sheriff’s Office during 2022 continues a trend in crime reduction dating back to 2020. According to data from the NC SBI, in 2021, a nine percent reduction in Crime Index Offenses occurred for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. In 2020, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office saw a two percent drop in Crime Index Offenses according to the NC SBI. (See table 5 in the following PDF.) 

 

“Thank you to all of our Deputies, Detectives, and Detention Officers, as a result of their hard work we are seeing a reduction in crime for the third consecutive year. The increase in arrests for high-level crime and repeat offenders has been a key factor in our crime reduction strategy,” says Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller.

The number of homicide charges brought each year since 2000, by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office:

2000 – 4

2001 – 1

2002 – 7 

2003 – 4

2004 – 3

2005 – 8 

2006 – 3

2007 – 6

2008 – 5 

2009 – 4 

2010 – 3

2011 – 4 

2012 – 4 

2013 – 13 

2014 – 2 

2015 – 4 

2016 – 6 

2017 – 5 

2018 – 1

2019 – 2 

2020 – 4

2021 – 7

2022 – 4

2013 – 1 (YTD)

These numbers reflect the number of homicides in unincorporated Buncombe County.