Asheville seeks public input in national search for police chief

Asheville is asking residents to help decide who will lead a police department still under pressure from staffing shortages, public trust concerns and the fallout from Hurricane Helene. The national search to replace Mike Lamb is being paired with public input, a sign that city leaders know this hire will shape neighborhood policing, response times and how APD rebuilds confidence across Buncombe County.

The city has hired Developmental Associates, a Chapel Hill-based search firm, to recruit candidates and is aiming to announce a new chief by the end of September. That timeline gives residents a narrow window to press for answers about what the next chief is expected to fix: downtown disorder, violent-crime fears, communication with the public and the department’s ability to keep and recruit officers.

Asheville’s choice matters because the city operates under a council-manager form of government, meaning City Manager Debra Campbell will appoint the next chief. Interim Chief Jackie Stepp has been leading APD since Nov. 21, 2025, after joining the department in October 2005, and she inherited a department that has spent the last year navigating scrutiny and operational strain. Lamb retired last year after nearly 28 years of city service.

The department’s public-facing tools show how much is already at stake. APD is CALEA-accredited, maintains a public crime-data portal and says it uses automatic license plate reader technology with public dashboards. The department also has five dedicated Community Resource Officers assigned to neighborhood outreach, which makes the chief’s approach to community engagement a practical question, not a slogan.

That is why the input process should be more than a general request for “community feedback.” Asheville has already seen the city’s top public-safety leaders respond jointly to gun violence, with Mayor Esther Manheimer and Interim Chief Stepp issuing a statement on March 10, 2026. The next chief will have to operate in that climate, where residents expect both visible enforcement and clear explanations for how decisions are made.

The staffing picture adds another layer. APD’s job page advertises hiring bonuses of $5,000 for new lateral officers and $3,500 for new trainees, a reminder that recruitment and retention remain central to the search. Asheville used public input during a prior police chief selection process in February 2015, and the current search now carries the same civic weight: the city is not simply filling a vacancy, it is choosing the person who will help define public safety in Asheville’s next chapter.