An almost 30-minute question-and-answer session that followed the nearly 25-minute Asheville Police Department report to the Asheville-based Council of Independent Business Owners on Feb. 2 began with a question from Nathan Ramsey, director of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board with Land of Sky Regional Council, who asked about the APD’s “homeless arrests” and “deterrence” during the COVID-19 era — versus now.

APD Interim Police Chief Mike Lamb replied, “We (the APD) were limited at that time on who we could take to jail — because of COVID limits at the jail... And word got around... Then we had officers resigning... So what we’re seeing now is that things are returning back to normal... At that time, people could ‘sign themselves out of jail.’ That’s ended.”

Now, the interim police chief said, “We’re looking at who’s committing these crimes because those who are doing it are committing an overwhelming number of crimes... As an agency (the APD), with reduced staffing, we have to pull our staff together to take someone off the road.

“In order to deter crime and reduce crime numbers, it’s a mix of outreach and enforcement. Our hope is anytime we arrest someone, we hope to get them out of ‘the cycle’ — it’s sort of a carrot and a stick. But you’ve got to have the deterrence,” Lamb asserted.

Next, Ruth Smith, an attorney from Weaverville, said, “First, congratulations on your efforts and success... Do you believe it (the addition of Buncombe sheriff’s deputies to help in patroling downtown on weekends) was necessary?”

 Lamb answered, “I appreciate the sheriff (Quentin Miller) trying to help us. I think that is what he’s trying to do. He will have several deputies on Friday night... and Saturday night. But it will be temporary... 

“We (at the APD) are filling an extra presence downtown with overtime (pay for the added city police officers), as is the sheriff’s office (for its deputies). Another thing to remember is — this is for an eight-hour period. This helps our merchants downtown with safety... Most importantly, this is collaboration between the APD and sheriff’s office...”

State Rep. Eric Ager asked, “What have you done to improve morale” at the APD?

Lamb, an Asheville native, replied, “We’re not making a lot of changes. The officers know me. We’ve worked together for 24 or 25 years. They understand the expectations. I’m very appreciative to be ‘the interim,’ but I hope to be the ‘permanent chief.’ As a team, we work very well together...

“I attribute a lot of that to (APD) Capt. (Joe) Silberman. We’re also trying to create a culture of wellness for the APD. Having these events altogether has really helped to build a family environment.... A lot of this stuff — mixed together” — works.

Next, former Buncombe Sheriff Van Duncan began by stating to Lamb, “Congratulations! I want to echo (praise for) your efforts downtown.” 

Referring to the Pre-Trial Integrity Act, Duncan then asked, “How much did that result in a reduction in crime?”

Lamb answered, “Our repeat offenders, particularly the violent ones, now are staying in jail. So that’s a direct result we’ve seen. So the last quarter of the year, we saw crime drop.”

An unidentified man asked, “How much ‘artificial intelligence’ is the APD using? The whole country — not just the police force — is seeing a labor shortage. What are you going to do, short of relying on physical bodies (at the APD)?”

Lamb replied, “We are using technology, but we’re not using ‘AI’ right now. We are supplementing our workforce with more surveillance cameras around. Having those cameras in those strategic places is helping us break current crime sprees,” such as “these people (who) are going to big apartment complexes and pulling on door handles, or the KIA people (who) broke car windows....”

A man asked Lamb what he would ask council — regarding “what the APD needs.”

Lamb triggered some laughter from the crowd when he answered, “We feel supported by council — 99 percent of council! 

“We have to be marketable and competitve in our salary benefits” to attract more officers. “I think the biggest thing is having more affordable housing for our officers within the city limits of Asheville... We only have about five officers who live in the City of Asheville... I’m very hopeful on what this next budget will look like....”

A man asked, “Can you communicate with each other and other agencies?”

“Yes, we can communicate with each other and other agencies,” Lamb replied. Also, he said, “We have mutual aid agreements with all of the other police agencies. So we have a great environment for working together with all of the law enforcement divisions in the area.”

An unidentified man asked, “Do you have medical (coverage) after retirement” for APD officers?

With a smile, Lamb replied, “Tell people from outside the state, that North Carolina has one of the best retirement systems in the United States — and that North Carolina has good medical (coverage) after retirement....”

With a note of urgency, the interim police chief then asserted to the CIBO assemblage, “Just get the word out. When we get hesitation (from job prospects), it’s because people think the Asheville community is unsupportive of law enforcement.”

To the contrary, Lamb asserted, “On a regular basis, we (at the APD) hear from people who thank us. They (even) bring gifts by the APD. Get the word out — that Asheville is ‘very’ supportive of its law enforcement.”

An unidentified man asked, “Concerning ‘laterals’ — overall, how short are we” of APD officers?

Lamb answered, “So we’re 173 sworn officers,” while being budgeted for 230 officers. 

As Lamb looked out at the concerned-looking CIBO crowd, he asserted, “People (APD officers) who are leaving now are going, like to (Washington) D.C., for $30,000 more (in annual pay). We can’t compete with D.C... We also are losing officers to retirement.”

CIBO member and local businessman Mark Delk said that he “hasn’t seen a lot of help from D.C. What can we do? One of the issues we’re dealing with is a (police) staffing and salary shortage….” 

Lamb replied, “Yes, any funding helps... Funding is tricky because of inflation... We have several grants that we get — from bullet-proof vests to health and wellness....”

Silberman, the captain of the APD Detective Division, interjected, “Laterals are the fastest-way to ‘upstaff.’” Further, he said, “There’s a nationwide (police) staffing crisis... One thing that could be done is to ‘upfund’” APD salaries and compensation.

Lamb added, “We get poached” of APD officers by other law enforcement agencies that offer higher salaries and benefits than does Asheville.

Indeed, the interim police chief said the APD has such an excellent reputation for conducting thorough background checks of those who it hires that, as a result, “there are agencies that hire from us (APD officers) without (doing) background checks.”