Asheville Housing Authority passes budget to hire off-duty law enforcement

Editor's note: This story was updated online April 10 to clarify original wording that it is a myth that downtown is more dangerous than public housing neighborhoods, but it is rather a perception generated by downtown groups and media outlets that downtown had become intolerably dangerous.

ASHEVILLE — The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville passed a resolution granting budget authority for a security pilot program with local law enforcement at some public housing locations during a March 27 board meeting.

Board members unanimously supported the resolution, which will allow for an initial pilot program costing up to $100,000 to employ off-duty law enforcement. The resolution states that HACA “has determined that there is a need for additional security presence at multiple properties.”

The program will consist of roughly three, eight-hour shifts at an approximate cost of $60 per officer, according to a copy of the resolution obtained by the Citizen Times. The resolution did not specify if the $60 is per hour, or per shift.

“We have a population that’s vulnerable,” Housing Authority President Monique Pierre said during the March 27 meeting. “Everything that’s happening on our sites is painted as a negative on our residents, but that is not the case.”

“Sometimes people do things, but oftentimes people coming from offsite who may have a relative or may have no reason to be there whatsoever, but just feel like they can go somewhere, hide away from police and do whatever they want. We want to preserve our sites for our residents to have a good place to live.”

At the meeting, Pierre mentioned trespassing onto HACA property particularly by those experiencing homelessness, people riffling through residents’ trash in search of personal information for identity theft, someone sleeping on residents’ porches and yelling threats at neighbors in Hillcrest Apartments, and encampments at Pisgah View Apartments and Livingston.

The resolution comes in the wake of a Citizen Times investigation that showed violent crime downtown, was not as high as in three affordable housing neighborhoods run by the Asheville Housing Authority.

Heated public discourse over the past year by merchants, downtown-oriented groups and local and national media have said the city center, known and advertised nationally as a prime vacation destination, had become intolerably dangerous.

When factoring the number of violent crimes per housing unit, Pisgah View Apartments had twice as many incidents than downtown in 2021 — the year with the highest amount of annual reported violence for downtown in the last six years.

Hillcrest, an apartment complex with only one street that loops around a few dozen tightly packed buildings, had nearly twice as many as downtown per housing unit. That same year, Aston Park Tower had 47% more violent crime per housing unit than downtown.

Yet, the resolution authorizes Pierre to enter into a memorandum of agreement, a legally binding document, with local law enforcement for additional security services, but only specifically names Asheville Terrace Apartments and HACA Central Offices located at Aston Towers in downtown Asheville.

More: Downtown Asheville not so dangerous? Data: These neighborhoods have more crime, violence

“I’ve met with both Chief Lamb and Sheriff Miller to discuss more ways to partner and have some additional support on our properties. But I think that is in general, their policing duties as sworn deputies in the county or in the city," Pierre said in the meeting.

“But having off-duty officers being able to work for us — that way we can devise plans and strategies to help address some of these issues and be able to be more responsive.”

Pierre highlighted the importance of making an online police report, so that there’s documentation showing a heightened need when she meets with local law enforcement leaders.

The housing authority manages federally subsidized housing for nearly 3,000 city residents in 11 communities: Pisgah View Apartments, Deaverview Apartments, Maple Crest Apartments, Hillcrest Apartments, Klondyke Homes, Livingston and Erskine-Walton, Aston Park Tower, Altamont Apartments, Bartlett Arms Apartments, Asheville Terrace and Woodfin Apartments.

“I met with Monique on February 20th and discussed more ways to partner,” Chief Mike Lamb told the Citizen Times April 8 over email. “I value collaboration and am willing to discuss possible solutions to make our community safer.”

Lamb said he was not aware of the resolution or security pilot program plan and was not asked to provide input on the contents of the resolution.

More: After CT violent crime investigation, Asheville Police chief looks beyond downtown

However, the Citizen Times spoke with Pierre, who said the housing authority is still in the preliminary stages of working out the details over the next month or so, and it is too premature to comment at this time.

Spokesperson Aaron Sarver with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office also said the sheriff hadn’t heard of the resolution yet, but that deputies often take what’s called “secondary assignments,” or when deputies sign up for shifts, like security at businesses, that are outside their normal shifts.

“Basically, anybody can approach the sheriff's office and say, ‘We want deputies to come work security at our business, at our festival, at our church,’” Sarver said. “I'm not aware of us really turning stuff down.”

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Housing Authority may hire off-duty officers for security