Asheville police step up downtown patrols, address quality-of-life issues
APD officers were on foot, bikes and in cars around Pritchard Park and Wall Street as Asheville tested whether its Downtown Plan changed daily life downtown. The plan also targeted open-container violations, trespassing and crisis calls.
Asheville police officers were on foot, bikes and in cars around Pritchard Park, Wall Street, Haywood Street and Coxe Avenue. Police leaders said the effort, which began about two months earlier, aimed to speed responses, coordinate with other agencies and connect people in crisis with social-service help.
The stepped-up presence was also meant to address the smaller offenses that shape how downtown feels to merchants, workers and visitors. Capt. Jonathan Brown said officers had been focusing more closely on open-container violations and trespassing, which can add to the sense that downtown is unsafe if they are ignored. The plan paired enforcement with referrals to resources when a call involved mental-health or substance-use issues.
The Resource and Engagement Support Team can be reached through the Asheville App or the APD non-emergency line. The city created REST because many homeless-related calls were not emergencies and needed a more resource-based response. REST works with the Asheville Fire Department and Vaya Health, and the team engages residents, business owners and people experiencing homelessness to connect them with services.
Downtown merchants had already noticed a more visible and more conversational police presence. Business owners said officers were talking with people instead of serving only as a deterrent, even as concern remained over open drug use, vandalism and indecent exposure. William Dissen said he had cut weekly meals served at The Market Place from nine to five under storm-related and downtown-related pressure.
The broader city response stretches back to a 60-day Downtown Safety Initiative launched in spring 2023 amid rising concern about crime, homelessness and cleanliness. Many parts of that effort continued through ongoing enhancements to services, and the Asheville Downtown Improvement District added ambassadors visible seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Asheville’s downtown planning pages tie safety and cleanliness to economic success. Downtown crimes fell from 2020 through 2022, rose in 2023, dipped in 2024 and rose again in 2025. Violent crimes downtown fell from 67 in 2024 to 58. Trespassing and public intoxication downtown increased in 2025.
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