From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — City Council voted 6-1 on May 12 to accept a $1.14 million federal grant to create a “Real-Time Intelligence Center” for the Asheville Police Department.

Casting the lone negative vote was far-left Councilwoman Kim Roney, who is seeking to unseat Esther Manheimer as mayor in the statewide general election on Nov. 3.

The controversial decision — approved in a heated, late-night meeting despite heavy citizen pushback and vocal opposition — will centralize camera feeds from across the city into a single hub at the APD’s downtown headquarters.

Following is a summary of the technology and operations of the “real time” camera sytem:

• The software: The department will use Axon’s Fusus software to aggregate feeds from public and private cameras (such as city schools and housing authority networks) into a centralized, map-based hub.

• Capabilities and constraints: Police state the system will be used as a reactive, investigative tool for violent crimes and will not employ artificial intelligence or facial recognition.

• Data control: Private and commercial camera owners maintain control over their footage and can deactivate the feed.

• Timeline: The APD has said it hopes to have the center fully operational by spring 2027.

Following are public pushback and civil liberty concerns:

• Citizen opposition: “Do not just take my word for it” — citizens voiced strong opposition. During council’s marathon meeting on May 13, nearly 50 residents signed up to speak, with all but one objecting to the surveillance proposal, citing civil liberty and privacy concerns.

• Council compromise: To help soothe community skepticism, Councilman Bo Hess introduced a supplementary resolution reaffirming the protection of civil liberties. 

Additionally, the APD announced plans to form a community focus group to help shape operational policies before the center goes

The grant money — secured through the office of U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-Flat Rock — is managed through the U.S. Department of Justice.

Notwithstanding, “There are very real civil liberty concerns with a real-time police intelligence center. And this grant, proffered by the so-called Department of Justice, may just be the proverbial Trojan Horse,” Clare Hanrahan told council during its public comment period, according to a May 14 story in the Asheville Citizen Times.