From Staff Reports 

Since June 1, the number of resignations accepted at the Asheville Police Department has jumped to 40 sworn and non-sworn police personnel, Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Oct. 7.

APD’s police force, which numbered 283 officers as of June 1, is now down to 243 officers.

“About half are leaving the profession altogether,” News 13’s report added.

The 40-officer loss amounts to a significant jump in resignations since a report in the Oct. 1 edition of the Daily Planet, which noted that  31 officers had left since June 1.

From Staff Reports 

HENDERSONVILLE — State Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Hendersonville, has been slammed by his opponent for re-election after he said, following a vote Sept. 22 by Asheville City Council to defund the police by 3 percent, that he plans to enter legislation to defund North Carolina cities that defund their police departments in the upcoming 2021 General Assembly session.

Edwards, who represents the 48th Senate District in the legislature, said he will propose a dollar-for-dollar reduction in response to Asheville’s council action, which he termed “reckless.”

 Meanwhile, Mills River Mayor Pro-tem Brian Caske — Edwards’ Democratic challenger in the Nov. 3 election — told the Asheville Citizen Times that Edwards’ was mischaracterizing the action by Asheville’s council, in Edwards’ charge that Asheville was defunding its police department, 

Specifically, Caskey said that Asheville, instead of defunding the APD, had reallocated spending to what he termed more appropriate areas, while removing the weight of responsibilities — such as animal control — from the police force, the ACT reported.