Black Mountain crime did not increase, police chief says, but staffing shortage looms
Karrigan Monk
Rates of crime did not increase in Black Mountain in 2023, according to Police Chief Steve Parker.
Parker provided Black Mountain News on Jan. 4 with what he called “initial data” for the year.
In 2023, the Black Mountain Police Department responded to five violent crimes, the same number as the year before. In 2021, the department saw just one more violent crime for a total of six for the year.
Property crime in the town decreased in 2023, with 116 reported incidents. In 2022, that number was 121, and in 2021 there were 160 property crimes.
Responses to collisions were also down to 196 in 2023 from 238 in 2022 and 209 in 2021.
The Black Mountain Police Department issued 1,038 citations in 2023 compared to 1,231 in 2022 and 1,021 in 2021. Warnings were down as well. In 2023, the department issued 815 warnings, down from 1,032 in 2022 but up from the 694 in 2021.
Parker said that the department wants to focus on not just enforcement, but also education when it comes to citations and warnings.
“I think it’s important to mention that education is just as important to us as enforcement,” Parker said. “You’re going 25 miles per hour over the speed limit, you deserve a ticket. Some people deserve education, and I think the staff is really good at balancing who needs it and who doesn’t.”
Parker said that while crime in Black Mountain did not increase, the department saw a “big uptick” in individuals coming to town who had allegedly committed crimes elsewhere. In 2023, the department apprehended three murder suspects from outside of Black Mountain and recovered 17 stolen cars or license plates that were taken from outside of town.
The police chief said the department has also been responding to more overdose and mental health calls.
Parker said while the department does not get called to every overdose, it responded to 29 overdose calls in 2023. He said that is “a significant number in a small town like this.”
In what Parker called the “most concerning trend,” the department responded to 241 mental health calls.
“What we’re seeing is more social issues,” Parker said. “Those are the most dangerous calls we go to.”
When it comes to these types of calls, Parker said he wants to make sure his staff are adequately prepared to deal with the aftermath. He said one of the new initiatives from 2023 was implementing debriefings and having counselors made available to police department staff following “major scenes.”
While the department is responding to more calls, Parker said he is seeing a “negative trend” in staffing and applications received for open positions.
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Fully staffed, the Black Mountain Police Department has 27 employees. Of those 27, 26 are sworn officers and one is administrative staff. Currently, the department has 26 staff members, but is five operational staff members short, meaning these five individuals have not yet been fully trained.
Parker said it usually takes about a year for a new officer to be fully trained. Basic law enforcement training takes 840 hours, which he said equates to roughly six months. After that, the state has usually been taking two months to approve the applicant, and then the applicant spends 12 to 16 weeks in field training.
“If we have a vacancy, we literally lose that operational spot for one year,” Parker said. “Meanwhile, if someone leaves, we start that cycle all over again.”
Parker said there were four months this year – March, May, November and December – that the department received no applications. He said of the 24 applications he did receive, fewer than half were qualified.
“Our standard is still high, and it will remain high,” Parker said. “But we’re not able to pick from the best of the best anymore. It’s becoming very difficult to select.”
Parker said the focusing on diversity in staffing is something the department is “spending a lot of time trying to do.” When he started the position in 2021, there was one female police officer. Now, there are five female staffers. Parker did note that he was receiving fewer male applicants.
He said recruitment is his biggest challenge running the department.
Going into the new year, Parker said one of his priorities is finding more space for the department to operate.
“One of my biggest priorities is trying to present to council, mayor and the population that this building was built in 1958 and no longer meets the needs of current law enforcement,” Parker said.
He pointed to the “insufficient” IT equipment and evidence room, as well as the lack of space for staffers to work as reasons why the building is no longer the best fit for the department and its future growth.
Parker said he wants to think about the vision of the future for both Black Mountain and the department, especially as the town grows with the proposed expansion of Montreat College and an added interchange.
“When we think about how do we prepare for the future, this current environment will 100% not work,” Parker said.
He said he also wants to focus on community service and enhancing training in the new year, though Parker said he was not yet ready to give more details.