Asheville crime falls after record highs; police give numbers for violent, property crimes
ASHEVILLE - Citywide crime has fallen after what police say was the implementation of data-driven strategies that pushed violent crime down 18% in 2023 and property crime down 13% compared to the prior year.
The declines were notable, according to an expert with John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
The Asheville Police Department released the figures ahead of a Jan. 23 City Council Environment and Safety Committee meeting. The numbers showed declines from a record-high of violent crimes ― homicide, aggravated assault, rape and robbery ― of 727 in 2022, the highest in a period starting in 2018. Last year there were 596 such violent incidents in city limits, the lowest of that six-year timeframe.
There were nine homicides in 2023, down from 12 the year prior, which matched the highest level since 2018 when 12 homicides were also recorded.
During that same six-year stretch property crimes peaked at 5,788 in 2019 and have declined every year since, dipping to 4,100 last year.
The six-year lows follow the national upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, police turnover that has left 38% of positions vacant, outcry from downtown merchants and others over what they said was the city center's increased dangerousness and the resignation of APD Chief David Zack in December after three years on the job.
Among violent crimes only one category, common-law robbery ― meaning robbery without a weapon ― increased from 56 to 64 incidents, though armed robbery was down, down from 78 to 65 incidents, and both types of robbery combined were lower than in 2022.
Which types of crimes on rise?
Among the seven types of property crimes, only two categories rose: arson, increasing from 28 to 32 incidents, and motor vehicle thefts, up to 445 from 400.
"The implementation of data-driven strategies has been instrumental in achieving significant reductions in both violent and property crime citywide, with positive impacts observed in specific districts," APD said in the report to the City Council committee overseeing police.
APD spokesperson Samantha Booth told the Citizen Times Jan. 22 that meant focusing on a broad range of crimes, even those that didn't involve property loss or violence.
"The department conducted anti-crime operations to address the overwhelming number of complaints regarding nuisance crimes, quality of life issues, and outrageous and dangerous behavior. These operations were conducted where crime data showed the majority of these types of crimes (assaults, larceny, arson, public intoxication and trespassing) were being committed," Booth said.
Booth said a specific make of cars have seen a particular uptick in thefts, driving the overall rise.
"In November and December of 2023, we saw an increase in (motor vehicle) thefts, tied to the trend of Kia/Hyundai thefts which could be attributed to the uptick in Kia and Hyundai thefts that started to occur more frequently," she said.
Booth said she was seeking more information from APD's crime analyst about the arson and common law robbery statistics.
Because national and state 2023 numbers have not been finalized it is difficult say whether the city is mirroring larger trends. In the U.S., violent crime spiked in 2022, a year earlier than in Asheville, at 399 per 100,000 people. By 2022 it had dropped back to the same levels as 2019 at 381 per 100,000.
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In North Carolina, violent criminal incidents peaked to spied in 2020 and 2021 at 419 and 420 incidents per 100,000. It dropped in 2022 to 405 per 100,000.
Asheville's drops were significant, according to John Jay College sociology professor Jan Yager.
"Sometimes it is more dramatic when you look at the numbers versus the percentage decline," Yager said.
"In violent crime, that 18% decrease from 2022 to 2023 represents 131 fewer violent crime victims from 727 versus 596," she said.
While homicide numbers are low enough that it can be hard to assign statistical trends, they are the worst of the crimes and can have ripple effects, she said.
"In Victimology we discuss not just primary victims -- those who are the direct victim of a crime -- but secondary victims -- the family and friends, and even employers who may be friends as well, of the victim," she said.
If you go
The city's Environment and Safety Committee meets at 11 a.m. the fourth Tuesday of the month. Meetings are remote-only. Find more information and the meeting link at ashevillenc.gov/government/city-council-committees/environment-and-safety-committee.
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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at [email protected], 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville crime falls police department says