OPINION

Police should keep public better informed about crime

ASH

Are Asheville police communicating with the people as well as they should? The answer seems to be “No.”

When burglars struck four homes on Joyner Avenue within a nine-hour span, police officers descended on the area quickly, informing residents of the situation and asking them if they had any information that would help apprehend the culprits.

But some residents did not get the word. The police did not issue a press release or post information on the department’s website. The news did not get out until the Citizen-Times, acting on a tip from a victim, received confirmation from police.

The website has a “police blotter” subsection to “provide the community with access to information on recent crime-related activities and the actions of the Asheville Police Department to deter crime in Asheville neighborhoods.” But it has not been updated since Jan. 10. The police Twitter account hasn’t been used since Jan. 2.

“I think when it comes to community outreach and engagement, everyone can be doing a better job,” Joyner Avenue resident Sarah Nunez said. “It's not specific to the Asheville Police Department, but most community services can be doing a better job.

“The big thing was trying to figure out what happened and what was going on and why was there so much activity. My personal way of handling that was: one, to contact APD and see if I could get information and two, to talk to my neighbors.”

There is no hard-and-fast rule as to when a press release will be issued. “Utilizing our district command system, district (lieutenants) are responsible for communicating crime trends to citizens,” police spokesman Sgt. Dave Romick said in an email. The criteria seem to be when public safety is at issue or information is needed.

This is not just true in Asheville. “The (Buncombe County) Sheriff's Office issues media releases whenever we deem that there is a threat to public safety, if we need … assistance in locating a vulnerable person … or if we need assistance in locating a vehicle connected to an active investigation,” said spokeswoman Natalie Bailey.

“The Sheriff's Office also issues a media release when we want to alert the public of any fraudulent activity that might be taking place in the community,” she added.

We understand that police do not consider burglary a threat to public safety. By definition, a burglar strikes when no one is at home. Property may be lost — more than $13,000 of it in the Joyner Street burglaries, for example — but rarely is anyone in danger.

But that’s only part of the picture. The burglar may not endanger the resident physically, but the psychological impact can be significant. The ability of the victims to feel secure in their homes has been compromised. If they can be invaded when they are not at home, maybe the next time they will be invaded when they are at home.

Neighbors can take steps to secure their community, such as the crime watch being instituted on Joyner Street, but they need to feel the police are keeping them fully informed.

Asheville police, and the Buncombe Sheriff’s Office for that matter, need to re-examine policies with an eye to doing everything possible to keep the people informed. Pathways include the website, social media, email and face-to-face contact.

When deciding whether an incident is important enough to warrant notification of residents in the area, the criterion should be how the incident makes the residents feel and not just whether it endangers their safety.

Fears may be a matter of perception, but perception is powerful and should be heeded.