Asheville – Asheville City Councilwoman Kim Roney pulled five items from the consent agenda at last Tuesday’s meeting, consistently committing to vote against any action favoring traditional policing over social interventions.
Three members of the public spoke against police enhancements and reinforcements, expressing concerns about a breakdown in checks and balances and divisions of power at the federal level. In a spirit reminiscent of “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” they warned that the situation was precarious, suggesting that the camel’s nose was already inside the tent.
Roney referenced a list of 29 questions she had forwarded to staff, with a major concern being security cameras and access to video footage. A persistent fear among her constituents was that state police could use the cameras to identify harbored refugees. While Roney acknowledged that bulletproof vests save officers’ lives in the line of duty, she would vote against this measure as well, believing the city was not doing enough to hire counselors skilled in connecting individuals suffering from addiction, violence, and other mental illnesses with necessary services.
Councilman Bo Hess disagreed and presented counterarguments to Roney’s positions on each agenda item. The first item requested council approval to receive $71,999 from the Department of Justice, which would be split with the county. Asheville would use its share to purchase “a video wall, workstations, chairs, elevated desktops, and mobile base stations” for its Real Time Intelligence Center (RITC), while the county would spend its portion on police defibrillator kits. Hess noted that the RITC had “already been established and has already helped apprehend dangerous individuals quickly, often in places where our most vulnerable live.” He emphasized that the agenda item addressed a request “from women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA residents,” stating, “I’m not ready to dismiss those voices.”
Roney cited Durham as a successful model of community policing, but Hess countered, “Let’s not cherry-pick, because Durham uses an RTIC. They use ShotSpotter; they’ve integrated tech and public safety together. They didn’t throw out public safety; they modernized it, and that’s what we’re doing here in Asheville, too.”
The second item involved routine acceptance of federal funds for bulletproof vests, which have a lifecycle of five years. This year’s award totaled $29,273.47 and required a full match from the city. “This protects the people who protect us,” said Hess. “As public servants, we have a duty to ensure their safety.”
Another item requested approval to bypass the competitive bidding process to purchase items from North Carolina’s sole authorized distributor, including communications headsets and silencers. Hess pointed out that the headsets were crucial for coordinating relief and rescue during Helene.
Another item sought approval to apply for $154,638 in federal funds to support the Asheville High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area unit. Hess explained, “This isn’t about criminalizing addiction or low-level possession. Asheville acts only as the fiduciary for a multiagency WNC task force. This keeps methamphetamine and fentanyl from devastating our neighborhoods. I know firsthand what methamphetamine and fentanyl do to our families here in Asheville because I work in a psychiatric unit where I see it every single day.”
Lastly, permission was requested from the council to renew the contract with Safeguard Recruiting. Hess explained, “The recruitment contract we’re renewing has already brought in 30 new cadets and is essential to closing our staffing gap. We have 67 vacancies, and with continued momentum, we can have a fully staffed, well-trained force ready to serve the entire city. Public safety and community care are not mutually exclusive.” He concluded by applauding the city for caring for the most vulnerable in such a holistic manner in its post-Helene state.
Ruffled, Roney thanked Hess for implying that she was not telling the truth. She stated that the city had indeed cut neighborhood grants and strategic partnership funds, and that the new Business Improvement District was no longer interested in community policing activities. Hess corrected her by saying that the city only capped neighborhood grants with continuing budgets.
“We aren’t in a candidate forum,” interrupted Mayor Esther Manheimer. “So we’ll try not to name each other and then get a response or whatever… This is kind of a new format for me.” Representatives from the police department were called upon to answer questions, and votes were taken. Roney was the only council member to vote against all of the above.