Scathing PowerPoint commentary hammers Asheville Police Department controversy

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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A PowerPoint presentation containing scathing commentary about the ongoing Asheville Police Department controversy is making email rounds and landed in my in-box. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, her fellow Councilmen Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith, Police Chief William Anderson and others are all targets. It arrived anonymously. I have no idea who created it.

If you haven’t been following, here’s the quick-and-dirty: Forty-four members of the Asheville Police Department recently signed a petition stating they have no confidence in the department’s leadership and the handling of a host of recent problems, including a WLOS investigation that revealed officers in the department had used faulty radar guns when issuing speeding tickets, a fact which later caused District Attorney Ron Moore to dismiss hundreds of infractions and promise to repay others. Asheville City Manager Gary Jackson recently announced a series of measures to address the issues, including an outside audit and the appointment of the city’s fire chief, Scott Burnett, to carry out any changes recommended by the audit.

The PowerPoint commentary mocks the entire mess and lack of process. Click on the link to download.

Random Thoughts APD 2014

 

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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54 Comments

  1. roo November 12, 2014

    I didn’t know Chief Anderson was taking money from video poker operators, intimidating witnesses and obstructing justice.

    Oh wait, that was the last Sheriff. What party did he belong to?

    Reply
    1. Barry Summers November 12, 2014

      And the partisan assault continues.

      I’ll repeat: from everything I’ve seen, Chief Anderson is a good man that tried to shake up and reform the calcified APD, unfortunately at a time that the City is also under assault by the GOP.

      I’ve been a consistent critic of the APD and the City leadership when they’ve deserved it. But this attack on Anderson is undeserved and unwarranted, and when we all wake up from the current partisan fever, we’ll be ashamed.

      Reply
      1. Big Al November 13, 2014

        “…from everything I’ve seen, Chief Anderson is a good man that tried to shake up and reform the calcified APD..”

        You need to get your vision checked (or pull your head out of your politics), cuz what WE see is:

        1) an officer who was hired DESPITE misgivings of his previous employer.

        2) A chief who tried to cover up crimes committed by his son.

        3) multiple and egregious examples of tyranical intimidation of subordinates.

        4) A force that is so demoralized that 25% are willing to put their careers on the line publicly to promote change.

        And the best you can come up with for his defense is “the tiny Rebublican minority and the gotcha press are out to get him because he is black”

        You really are pathetic.

        Reply
        1. Harry November 13, 2014

          There are just a few more things we cannot forget.
          1. Additional problems with evidence security.
          2. Uncertified officers using un calibrated radar guns.
          3. Barry is nothing more than a partisan hack.

          Reply
      2. ashevillain November 13, 2014

        “And the partisan assault continues.”

        Mostly by you.

        The rest of us just want competency and trust.

        Look man, you’ve got to take your blinders off. I’ve never voted for a R in my life so don’t try to redwash my comments. This chief is obviously not competent and the public does not trust his office/dept. Something needs to change!

        Reply
        1. Henry November 13, 2014

          Barry,

          I’d love to see a list of all the times you’ve been critical and attacked Asheville’s leadership.

          Reply
          1. Davyne Dial November 13, 2014

            Invariably on certain select blogs when you see the enlarged eyeball you know it’s gonna be “all b.s. all the time.”

            Reply
          2. Barry Summers November 13, 2014

            Grove Park Inn condos in the park plan; APD need for a citizen’s review board; P&Z, BOA, Downtown Commission appointments; Civic Center naming rights; Basilica property development; Parkside condos – those are just the ones that come to mind first.

            Reply
          3. Barry Summers November 13, 2014

            And Davyne, I know you’re angry that Tim Moffitt lost, but let’s not get too juvenile. You’ll have plenty of chances to bang the Hate-Asheville drum even without him leading the parade.

            Reply
          4. D. Dial November 14, 2014

            Who is Tim Moffitt?

            Reply
          5. D. Dial November 14, 2014

            Oh now I remember, anyone besides b.s. who has questions about how the City is run has got to be in bed with Tim Moffitt.

            Only b.s. has any legitimate critique of what officials we elect in the City do. Only b.s. is allowed to exercise their civic duty of holding officials accountable for their actions or inactions. Everyone else has an axe to grind, is disgruntled, wanted to take over an entity that the City failed to manage properly, is in bed with the enemies of asheville, and on and on ad infinitum.

            Reply
          6. Henry November 14, 2014

            Let’s go over your list, Barry.

            1) Grove Park Inn Condos – which ones?

            2) APD Citizen’s Review Board – so you’ve always opposed transparency in the police department. Good to know.

            3) P&Z – you opposed Holly Shriner, Foster Shriner’s wife, and Foster is a registered republican. What a surprise.

            Then you looked the other way when City Council gave Cindy Weeks, the Manager for a mega-developer, an unprecedented third term on P&Z. Funny that you only spoke out about the republican-affilated nomination.

            4) Civic Center naming rights – but where were you when the SECU plaza was named? Mocking the people calling out city council for selling the naming rights. Inconsistent.

            5) Parkside Condos – who got the brunt of that blame? I believe it was your old friend Nathan Ramsey. That was a county issue, not a city issue.

            6) Basicalla – you have a problem with the city selling public property to a hotelier, but no problem selling public property to 3-Term chair of P&Z, Cindy Weeks’, organization? Interesting.

            Reply
          7. Barry Summers November 14, 2014

            There’s no pleasing some people.

            Reply
          8. Barry Summers November 14, 2014

            Interesting.

            As it turns out, no, not that interesting.

            1) GPI wanted to build condos in the middle of Pack Square Park. Some of us thought that was unwise. We went after the (majority Democratic) City Council for preparing to sell public land for luxury condos, and for letting the staff run things behind their backs (led by the Moffitt-recruited City Manager Jim Westbrook, BTW. Thanks again, Tim.)

            2) APD Citizen’s Review Board. “so you’ve always opposed transparency in the police department”. Not sure how you got there from what I said, but OK. Enjoy your calisthenics.

            3) P&Z. I opposed Holly Shriner because she didn’t disclose that she stood to profit personally from a gigantic land deal that was sure to come before P&Z while she was on it. Didn’t know how she was registered to vote, didn’t care.

            4) Civic Center naming rights. “Mocking the people calling out city council for selling the naming rights. Inconsistent.” Not at all. I’m only mocking people who attack the City for fun or political profit.

            5) Parkside. “who got the brunt of that blame? I believe it was your old friend Nathan Ramsey. That was a county issue, not a city issue.” Nathan deserved the brunt of it, but the City deserved some too. Their staff’s shenanigans on the GPI condos (see Jim Westbrook above – thanks again Tim) led directly to the Parkside debacle.

            6) I have a problem with selling precious public property downtown for yet another luxury hotel, yes. Affordable housing on the other hand, in a town screaming out for it, is an appropriate use of that asset IMO. And unlike Holly Shriner, everyone knew who Cindy Weeks worked for, she didn’t stand to profit from it personally, and she recused herself from voting on Larchmont.

            You want to paint me as a partisan hack, but on all of those issues and more, the majority of the targets of my activism have been Democratic elected officials. I’m standing by them now, because the City is under assault from the outside. When it’s over, I know and they know that I’ll likely be on the other side of the barricades more often than not.

            Reply
          9. Barry Summers November 14, 2014

            Who is Tim Moffitt?

            First two I could find – certainly there are more. These will jog your memory:

            bit.ly/1BpvBjY

            bit.ly/116o4FG

            Reply
          10. Harry November 14, 2014

            You’ve painted yourself as a partisan hack, and this city government should be attacked because it’s officials are inept. Hopefully the voters inside city limits will smarten up. I’m not holding my breath.

            Reply
          11. Henry November 14, 2014

            You’re right Barry – Cindy never stands to personally profit when her corporation gets to build a new housing project. She gets paid by money falling out of the sky.

            You also have never pointed out a single instance where Holly Shriner broke a single law, ordinance, or rule – just the ones you imposed on her personally.

            All I’m saying is that it is certainly quite the coincidence that when someone who is a big democratic donor (Cindy) and a developer gets to run P&Z, you don’t care; but when someone married to a republican developer merely gets appointed, you go ballistic.

            Stuart Coleman, the Parkside owner, also happened to be a Bill Russell and Dwight Butner donor, and gets to build on land sold to him by Nathan Ramsey and the County Commission – why, there you are again.

            To tie it all back in, in yet another stellar coincidence, when we’re heading into a City Council election year with Wainscott sounding the horn about the APD, you’re telling us all that there is no problem with city government.

            I think you connected the dots yourself, Barry.

            Reply
          12. Barry Summers November 14, 2014

            you’re telling us all that there is no problem with city government

            That’s clearly not what I’ve said. You’re just making things up now.

            I think we’re done.

            Reply
  2. Matt November 11, 2014

    This strikes me as uninformative, inflammatory adolescent insults. I’m not taking sides here nor do I have a problem with satire. I’m just saying this ‘scathing power point’ is really lowering the bar on effective community dialogue.

    Reply
    1. JT November 12, 2014

      I agree, I was expecting some facts or inside info… those were just jabs and jokes.

      Reply
  3. Sarah November 11, 2014

    Jason, this is the start of something good – could you please start a regular headline called the quick and dirty, similar to your hotsheet, which I also find lovely. You can give us a quick synopsis of ongoing/controversial news in town. Would read it all the time.

    Reply
    1. Jason Sandford November 14, 2014

      Yes, Sarah. I’ll probably wrap your “quick and dirty” into the Hot Sheet -sounds similar.

      Reply
  4. Barry Summers November 11, 2014

    That’s what you call ‘scathing’, Jason? That’s not scathing, it’s juvenile. I opened it up expecting some new information or at least a cohesive argument proving anything, but no.

    I feel like I just got Rickrolled.

    Just more drum-banging by people who hate the City leadership and/or resent having a strong black man in a position of authority over them. The whole thing is shameful and embarrassing, and getting way more attention than it deserves. Thanks, Gannett!

    Speaking of, I picked up a USA Today while on the road on Friday. In the ‘state-by-state’ section, the most important story in the entire state of North Carolina was deemed to be: Asheville’s radar guns. Hmmmmm… Gannett!

    And then on Sunday, an unsigned editorial in the AC-T suggests that now might be a good time to consider dissolving the City’s charter and simply consolidate everything under the County: “it makes sense”… WTF, Gannett?!

    avlne.ws/1szh4bY (drag & drop – sub required)

    (Let’s see – who are the only people locally who have spoken in favor of doing that recently? Oh yeah – the two GOP NC House members that just lost their seats.)

    Maybe “consolidation” makes sense to those who have a grudge against the City of Asheville, and the fact that they keep electing the ‘wrong’ people and hiring the ‘wrong’ people. But to the rest of us, it stinks.

    Reply
    1. Big Al November 11, 2014

      “Just more drum-banging by people who…resent having a strong black man in a position of authority over them..”

      Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid.

      When did being a racial minority become the chosen justification overlooking incompetence?

      Oh yeah, Affirmative Action!

      Reply
    2. ashevillain November 11, 2014

      You can’t be serious. This has nothing to do with race and you damn well know it. This is an issue of public trust & competence and it’s not getting enough attention in my opinion.

      Reply
      1. cwaster November 14, 2014

        Agreed there. I don’t care what color he is- he’s lost the confidence of the city and his charges.

        Reply
    3. Harry November 11, 2014

      Unless I’m mistaken, aren’t their black officers in the group of 44 who signed the complaint? Oh wait. I forgot. You’re just a partisan hack from the left. Shouldn’t be surprised by you playing the race card. Those little games like race baiting, the war on women, and war on the rich are all wearing thin Summers. This is evidenced by the thumping that the Dems took in the midterms. Americans are nowhere near as dumb as the left thinks they are.

      Reply
      1. Barry Summers November 11, 2014

        Yes, the ‘Dems’ certainly took a thumping across Buncombe County last week, didn’t they?

        Reply
        1. Harry November 11, 2014

          No hack. Nationwide. Buncombe county now has no one in the majority to get anything done.

          Reply
          1. Barry Summers November 11, 2014

            Nice dodge. The point is that the folks attacking the City of Asheville got handed their hats, by voters outside the City.

            Reply
          2. Harry November 11, 2014

            No Hack. You tried to cry racism in your post. Nice dodge on YOUR part.

            Reply
          3. ashevillain November 12, 2014

            Both of you sound like nutjobs. But I’m sure standing on opposite sides of the line kicking dirt at each other is real productive, so might as well keep doing it, amirite?

            Reply
          4. Harry November 13, 2014

            Nah. Just giving Summers a taste of his own medicine.

            Reply
    4. luther blissett November 11, 2014

      Well, Gannett doesn’t see much value in keeping separate newspaper operations for the cities they serve, so the only surprise is that they didn’t suggest a consolidated Asheville-Buncombe municipality be run from Greenville.

      Reply
  5. Big Al November 10, 2014

    Sad days to be a citizen of Asheville.

    Good days to be a criminal, though. (And I don’t mean city council.)

    Reply
    1. Harry November 11, 2014

      The best time to be a criminal in Buncombe county will be when Ron Moore leaves the DA’s office. The progressives elected themselves a kinder, gentler DA. What a joke.

      Reply
      1. luther blissett November 11, 2014

        The best time to be a criminal in Buncombe county will be when Ron Moore leaves the DA’s office.

        Oh, that’s hilarious. Stop pining for the days of Bobby Medford. If you want good ol’ boy sheriffs and good ol’ boy DAs dispensin’ good ol’ boy justice, other counties are available.

        Reply
        1. Harry November 11, 2014

          Luther, you truly are a blithering idiot. Todd isn’t fit to scratch Ron Moore’s balls. He’s an unqualified cream puff who lacks the credentials to try a death penalty case. Did you see their debate? If you can conclude anything other than what I’ve just said, please reread my first sentence. Ron Moore has served this county with distinction and professionalism.

          Reply
          1. luther blissett November 11, 2014

            He’s an unqualified cream puff who lacks the credentials to try a death penalty case.

            Yeah, you’d sooner have a manly manly man who knows what Carolina Justice is supposed to look like, trumps up charges in order to extort plea bargains, and “mislays” evidence to lock up black men, even if they’re not actually guilty.

            We’ve already established what you are, Harry. Now make sure that Sheriff Bobby gets his care package.

            Reply
          2. Harry November 11, 2014

            You may be right blithering idiot. With crime up 8% in Asheville while being down in the rest of the state, we probably do need a weak, unqualified DA, an incompetent Chief of police, and a wacko city council. True progressive solutions.

            Reply
          3. luther blissett November 11, 2014

            How many times did you vote for convicted felon Bobby Medford?

            Reply
    2. big ugly November 11, 2014

      I know of two Downtown Unit officers that have left in two weeks. The question for security is how many yellow shirt (DTU) officers are left. I believe this creates a liability for the city .

      Reply
  6. Harry November 10, 2014

    Aunt Esther looks pretty scary.

    Reply
  7. Harry November 10, 2014

    Accurate, funny, and sad. All rolled into one big fookin mess. The progressives will fix it.

    Reply
  8. Davyne Dial November 10, 2014

    It’s too bad they couldn’t work Bothwell’s mug shot for dwi into the power point.

    Reply
  9. Melissa November 10, 2014

    “Fresh out of bubble gum!”

    Reply
  10. Davyne Dial November 10, 2014

    A MATTER OF TRUST

    Asheville continues to be informed by the Citizen Times and other media outlets, of yet more troubling news regarding our local police. The low morale, the intimidation tactics to get people to keep quiet, the blind eye of City Council, and the highly inappropriate comments of a certain Council member discussing personnel issues and calling one of the key individuals a “liar.” How unprofessional and downright wrong now that the memo has been located in a personnell file. Irresponsible behavior on the part of City Staff in lying assurances no such memo existed and gross abuse of power by management all result in one thing, loss of trust in our leadership.

    Interference with an SBI investigation involving the Chief’s son, the failure to calibrate radar guns, lack of security of evidence storage (which is not rocket science), forty four brave officers signing a petition asking for help from the powers that be, the illegal violation of Federal labor laws, reports from many sources that after expensive training, newly trained officers quickly depart to other Cities with better reputations for leadership, all result in a loss of the public trust.

    Public trust in the ability of City Council and the Police Chiefs ability to lead effectively is at rock bottom for anyone not blinded by partisan leanings. The cavalier responses to valid concerns reeks of condescension. Trust is a two way sentiment,and once trust is lost, it is very difficult to regain.

    Reply
    1. cwaster November 12, 2014

      I’m one of “them dam liberals.” And personally, our police system is way effed up in Asheville right now. Crime in NC overall is down- but up for us in AVL. Hmm.

      When I lived in Montford, stuff happened all the time that never made it into the news OR onto the APD site. It got swept under the rug, presumably to not scare the touristas away from the BNB’s. We had a crack-head come to our house at 11:30 at night on a Friday and demand money “for mowing our lawn”- he had done no such thing- and then threaten to kill us for not giving him 10 bucks. The PD didn’t even arrest him for it, and they damn well knew who he was when I talked to them. A dude got shot on Montford breaking into someone’s house and it never made the news at all. Curiouser and curiouser…

      There’s a rash of crime especially in WAVL right now, and it scares me.

      Liberal, Rightwinger, or whatever you are something is seriously wrong at APD. And God help me for agreeing with some rightwingers, I have to agree that City Council and the Police Chief are not gaining anyone’s trust. I point to the “reprimands” that may be issued for officers that used outdated radar guns, when it wan’t even their duty to calibrate them. Way to pass the buck.

      Reply
      1. Barry Summers November 12, 2014

        I don’t know the answer to this, but is there no responsibility on the officer’s part to make sure that the radar gun they are using has been calibrated?

        Reply
      2. AVL LVR November 12, 2014

        Democrat areas are the most dangerous areas. I say we promote Nathan Ramsey to police chief. He’ll clean up the department.

        Reply
        1. AVL LVR November 12, 2014

          Just don’t put Moffitt in charge. Octopus Ager will be his slimy assistant. they’ll put up guard towers and divide the city into walled sectors with drones flying overhead. Getting outside past curfew is an instant death sentence.

          Reply
  11. Don Kiyote November 10, 2014

    Way to enable an anonymous troll!

    Reply
  12. Santa November 10, 2014

    Heh. That was actually kinda funny. I like the pirate & bird slide.

    Reply
  13. Mark Ebert November 10, 2014

    Link does not work / open referenced PowerPoint.

    Reply

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