Buncombe sheriff: Crime is decreasing outside Asheville

Across many categories, crime is down in Buncombe County outside Asheville, Sheriff Quentin Miller reported to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 17.

Across eight serious crime categories reported to the State Bureau of Investigation, Miller reported a 15% decrease from 2021-22 and a 2% decrease from the previous 10-year low, in 2019. Buncombe had 1,585 crimes in 2022, such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson, according to Miller’s presentation. Misdemeanors are not included in those statistics. SBI numbers for 2023 will be available next fall, said BCSO spokesperson Aaron Sarver.

For comparison, in the City of Asheville, violent crime is down 18% to date compared with 2022 and 1% higher than the five-year average as of Oct. 1, according to an Asheville Police Department report to City Council this month.

So far this year, homicides also are down, as only one has been reported compared with four last year and 17 since 2019, Miller said. The Sheriff’s Office has brought charges on all 17 of those cases since Miller took office, he said.

However, for crimes involving drugs and narcotics, Buncombe already had 345 crimes as of Oct. 15, compared with 381 in all of 2022, according to Miller’s presentation.

Miller also reported on a co-responder unit, piloted in Buncombe this summer with Emergency Medical Services’ Community Paramedic Program to limit arresting people who were committing minor crimes because of a mental health condition.

“We’re trying to get resources to that person as opposed to them coming to the jail. It’s like a diversion program, if you will,” Miller said. “We’re trying to meet people where they are.”

When responding to a call that may involve a mental health issue, a deputy will respond with a community paramedic and try to deescalate the situation if a mental health episode is driving someone to commit a nonviolent crime, Miller said.

Taylor Jones, director of Emergency Medical Services for Buncombe, said the partnership is working, and he is proud to work with Miller on what they said was “leading work in the nation.”

“When I became a commissioner, we were talking about spending $50 million to build a new jail to put people in it who shouldn’t even be there. But now, thank goodness, we’re looking at other ways that are a lot more positive to the community,” said Commissioner Al Whitesides.

With the pilot complete, Miller said the agencies are working to implement the program permanently.

School district consolidation study

Commissioners unanimously agreed to act as lead entity for a feasibility study on the potential merger of the county’s two school districts to satisfy a state mandate.

The study will conduct academic, operational and financial analyses of the two districts, as well as study community impacts of a potential merger, which has been discussed on and off in the county since 1963.

Both boards of education have voted to designate Buncombe County as the lead entity on the study at recent school board meetings. Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools must both report “findings and recommendations” to the N.C. General Assembly by February 2025, according to the law.

While Buncombe’s state legislative delegation and county commissioners have expressed support of the study, neither school district has expressed a desire to merge. The county considered reviewing consolidation early in 2023 even before the state mandate but held off after ACS officials asked for time to find a new superintendent. Maggie Fehrman was named ACS superintendent in June.

School district mergers can be initiated by both school districts, a county commission that is in charge of funding both districts or the General Assembly, but a “significant” price tag would come with ordering consolidation, said Buncombe spokesperson Lillian Govus.

Several commissioners expressed skepticism Oct. 17 that both school districts would reach the same conclusion, which Chair Brownie Newman said was likely necessary for anything to change.

Commissioner Amanda Edwards, whose husband, Derek Edwards, is principal at Asheville High School, was more optimistic that a mutual conclusion could be reached.

“Call me an eternal optimist,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be uncomfortable, but ultimately we will get to that point where I think there is consensus among both groups.”

Rachel Nygaard, director of strategic partnerships for Buncombe County, said the county would submit a request for proposals in November for firms to conduct the study and hoped to have a vendor to start work on the project in the spring.

In other news

Commissioners heard an update on proposed changes to the county’s employee personnel policies. County Manager Avril Pinder highlighted what she said was the most potentially “controversial,” a change to the reduction-in-force policy, which comes into play if the county has to lay off a significant number of employees for extenuating circumstances, such as a severe economic downturn.

Currently, the county provides each employee one week of severance pay for each year of service with the county, up to 12 weeks, Pinder said. According to the new proposal, which Pinder said several staff members disagreed with, the Board of Commissioners would determine how much to provide as it was happening.

Pinder said she wanted to retain some flexibility because the current policy could put a strain on the county budget.

Several commissioners, including Newman and Whitesides, disagreed with Pinder, saying if the situation was that dire for the county, departing staff members, some of whom would be left losing their career, would deserve departing pay.

Commissioners discussed potentially raising the threshold for severance pay while lowering the maximum as a compromise. The topic will be discussed further at future meetings.