Chief: ‘Unprecedented’ number of Asheville police officers have resigned

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Thirty-one police officers in Asheville have resigned from the force since June. Police Chief David Zack told The Citizen-Times on Thursday that the number is “unprecedented.”

The resignations amount to the loss of more than one sworn officer for every ten in the force of 283 -- or 13% of the force. The numbers do not take into account retirements.

Zack attributed the departures to a lack of support and a “very vocal” opposition to law enforcement following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody earlier this year.

But proponents of a local movement to defund police said the department should consider what’s behind their outrage.

“It’s perplexing how a narrative of victimization has been stripped from the true victims, their families and the community that has suffered centuries from deadly state violence,” said Ria Young, a Black resident of the city.

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked protests across the country and in Asheville. Demonstrations in the city saw 12 police officers and at least one protester get injured.

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