From Staff Reports

Asheville City Council on Sept. 25 debated whether a police oversight board is necessary, after two widows of men killed by city police petitioned for such a board.

Adrienne Peterson and Rita Logan were among the members of Citizens Awareness Asheville, which asked council to create such a board.

Petersonís husband, Antoine Peterson, was shot by officers in the threshold of his West Asheville home two years ago.

Loganís husband, Lacy Pickens III, was shot by police last year while driving his car. Police say he was trying to run them over.

In the Peterson case, District Attorney Ron Moore defended the actions of Officer Scott Erick Allen, because, he said, Peterson was aiming a gun at his wife and the officer.

Council membersí reactions to the request were varied. Councilman Carl Mumpower chastised the women for accusing police of murder and argued that an oversight boards tend to ìpoliticize police departments.î
Councilman Jan Davis said such a move might harm police morale, already damaged by controversies over allegations of racial discrimination in the department.

However, Mayor Terry Bellamy said the city should at least investigate what practices other cities employ to establish better communication between police and citizens.

Mumpower noted that the police department already has a public safety committee, which he chairs. He said this committee and council are places where citizens can present complaints about police.

However, Councilman Bryan Freeborn, who also sits on the committee, said that he has never seen a member of the public present a complaint to the committee and that the board primarily focuses on police outreach.

Chief Bill Hogan said that council could appoint a committee that would be authorized to punish officers who have broken policies, including improper use of deadly force.

He said he would be happy to consider such a board, but that it might present several problems, including harming officer morale and undermining confidence in police leadership.

Furthermore, he argued, citizens on the board might not understand how dangerous officersí jobs are.
In other action, council unanimously approved plans for an urban-village-style development in Montford.
Montford Commons, a planned 20-acre development in the neighborhoodís south-west corner, will include 102 apartments. 81 homes for the elderly and single-family homes.

The development will also include offices and stores that will be within walking distance of† downtown.

Developers expect the project to cost at least $100 million. They said they originally planned to include a high-rise hotel, but scrapped the idea after opposition from neighbors and lack of interest from hoteliers.
Some residents said they liked the overall idea of the development but felt that they could have been included more in the process of property acquisition.

However, developer George Gabler said he and others had spent a year acquiring property from 48 landowners and had attempted to communicate with everyone.