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APD reports year-to-date drop in violent crime but flags recent shootings and property crime uptick
Summary
Police presented quarterly statistics showing a 37% year-to-date reduction in violent crime compared with 2024, while property crime rose about 4 percent. Chief Mike Lam and staff noted a recent cluster of four shootings in four days and stressed partnerships with federal and community violence-interruption programs.
Asheville Police Department leaders told the Public Safety Committee on July 31 that violent crime is down year to date but that recent shooting incidents and a rise in some property crimes remain concerns.
Chief Mike Lam said the department’s year-to-date violent crime total represents a 37% reduction compared with the same period in 2024. He attributed improvements to proactive policing and community engagement. Lam also said property crime increased about 4 percent year to date, driven largely by more larcenies and motor-vehicle burglaries.
Chief Lam and staff pointed to geographic variation: the largest reductions in violent crime were in the Baker District (South and East Asheville),…
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