Asheville Police swear in BLET graduates at A-B Tech amid recruitment push

Asheville Police Department swore in a new class of Basic Law Enforcement Training graduates at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, a ceremony that city leaders framed as a step toward rebuilding staffing after recent vacancies and turnover. The class included a retired actor and watched a special video highlighting what the recruits accomplished during training.

The graduation and swearing-in took place Feb. 20, 2026, at A-B Tech. Interim Police Chief Jackie Stepp spoke with local television reporters about what the day means for her and the city. Photographs and video frames from the ceremony are credited to WLOS Staff, and AB Tech posted on social media that it celebrated the graduation with its BLET staff.

Asheville’s recruitment drive is backed by explicit financial incentives and benefits aimed at attracting candidates. The city lists pre-tax hiring bonuses of $5,000 for lateral Police Officers and $3,500 for new Police Officer Trainees. The APD career ladder and salary ranges for FY 25-26 show a Police Trainee at $47,915.10; Police Officer $50,309 to $75,464; Senior Police Officer I / Detective I $52,825 to $79,237; Senior Police Officer II / Detective II / Police Detective $55,466 to $83,199; Master Police Officer I $58,239 to $87,359; and Master Police Officer II $61,152 to $91,727.

The City of Asheville recruitment page spells out additional hiring features that apply to candidates: recruits get paid while attending BLET, relocation assistance may be available, retirement through the NC Local Government Employees’ Retirement System plus a City 401K with employer contributions, a law enforcement retirement supplement, mentoring and peer support, tuition reimbursement for qualifying courses, embedded Certified Clinicians, and a balance of 5 vacation days on hire for sworn lateral transfers.

The posted hiring timeline states the process may take between 90 and 120 days to complete, and out-of-state candidates who have been full-time officers will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they must complete North Carolina BLET. The recruitment contact provided by APD is apdrecruitment@ashevillenc.gov for questions from prospective applicants and out-of-state hires.

City officials and AB Tech have not yet released the class size, the names of the graduates (including the retired actor), or details about immediate deployment and field training assignments for the new officers. As APD continues its recruitment push, the combination of paid BLET, hiring bonuses, and the department’s career-ladder pay bands will be central to how quickly new graduates are absorbed into patrol and investigative roles.