Rising crime in the downtown Asheville district has officials on high alert. City leaders of the North Carolina tourist town said that violent crime has increased in recent years and attributes the trend to ‘a crisis in police staffing.’ The City announced a 60-day initiative to address the rising number of incidents affecting public safety with the initiative slated to begin May 1, according to a news release from city government. The announcement comes as violent crime in Asheville, a town of approximately 90,000 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has surged, with sggravated assaults up by 21.8%, and armed robberies increasing by 20% from 2021 to 2022, according to APD statistics. The city’s new initiative will include beefing up police patrols downtown, and enhanced security in parks.
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