Asheville council approves consent items after public debate over real-time intelligence funding

Asheville City Council on March 25 approved its consent agenda, including two items tied to the city's real-time intelligence center (RTIC) and several federal public-safety grants, after an extended public comment period and council discussion about surveillance, data ownership and community oversight.

The votes capped a night of public testimony and council debate that centered on item G, described in meeting materials as partial funding for the RTIC and related federal grants. Council members and members of the public pressed for clearer answers about who can access camera and sensor feeds, what the city would actually buy with the grants and whether the council had had adequate committee review.

Why it matters: Several speakers said the RTIC raised civil-liberties concerns for residents who are already vulnerable to law enforcement and federal data-sharing. City leaders and public-safety officials said the equipment requests are federally funded, limited in scope and intended to improve officer safety and regional coordination.

Council member Beau, who spoke in favor of the consent items, said the city is not using local discretionary money for the programs under discussion and that the RTIC already exists in a basic form. "We're not buying surveillance, we're buying chairs and workstations for the officers to do their job," Beau said, adding that the funding request seeks infrastructure to allow officers and allied legal partners to access footage already gathered in field deployments.

Multiple members of the public…