From Staff Reports

The police department at UNC Asheville has expanded its jurisdiction beyond the campus perimeter, following a move approved by Asheville City Council on May 14, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on May 21.

"The agreement with Asheville Police Department will allow UNCA police — who are fully sworn police officers — to patrol and make arrests at properties adjacent to their campus that serve as student housing," the ACT story noted. "However, any investigations that ensue will still be handled by APD, Chief Mike Lamb said in the meeting."

Lamb was quoted by the newspaper as saying, “UNC Asheville had made the request to us, but it’s actually helpful to the Asheville Police Department because it helps provide a little more presence, especially where you have student housing off campus.

The ACT added, "Lamb specifically mentioned an uptick in the fall of 'dangerous incidents' overnight at Verge Apartments, a 'living-learning' apartment complex for students, according to its website, in the Montford area north of the city.

"In an earlier discussion during an Environment and Safety Committee meeting April 23, Lamb said the conversation about the agreement first started after a man was threatening student residents with a knife at the apartment complex," the ACT reported