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Black eye audiTor descriBes evidence room mess By david forBes
Series #26
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“I'm not going to talk about that,” Asheville police Chief William Anderson told Xpress after City Council’s July 24 meeting. He refused to meet the next day to answer questions concerning the evidence-room scandal, which Anderson has called “a black eye on the department.” In January 2011, longtime evidence-room manager William lee smith resigned. In April, Chief Bill Hogan resigned, after news broke that 115 items, including guns, drugs and money, were missing. Council agreed to pay Blueline Systems & Services $175,000 to conduct an independent audit. On July 24, Mike Wright, Blueline’s manager, gave the first public report on what that audit found. “There was no shelf-numbering system in about 75 percent of the facility,” he said, “so it was difficult to describe where anything might be.” Wright also said the audit had found 286 unidentified items. “That situation is horrendous to look at and know that lives are at stake,” said Mayor Terry Bellamy. The APD often touts its compliance with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies’ standards, which call for partial evidenceroom audits and walk-throughs semi-annually. Nonetheless, Wright reported items overflowing from the shelves, sitting on the floor and blocking doorways; evidence listed as “destroyed” in the computer system hadn’t been. Envelopes containing cash designated "school fund" weren’t accounted for , and Wright said the city might need to hire a separate company to deal with thousands of unfiled records. Although some areas were in proper order, he said putting things right would take at least two years, and the city will need four to six employees for both the former and current evidence rooms. Calling Wright's timeline "conservative," Anderson said, “Bottom line: We're going to have to go through that room and touch every piece of evidence.” In January, having used up the city money, Blueline submitted a report to District Attorney Ron Moore, who’s refused to release it, citing ongoing investigations. Noting that Anderson had inherited the situation, Bellamy added, “This is huge: It's a significant part of the public's trust.” Anderson said the APD is interviewing for a new evidence-room manager and tightening standards. He also wanted to see Blueline's recommendations; Council directed City Attorney Bob Oast to draft a letter asking Moore to release that portion of the audit report. Xpress and other local media are suing the city and Moore, saying the documents are public record and should be released. X David Forbes can be reached at 251-1333, ext. 137, or at dforbes@mountainx.com.
20 AUGUST 1 - AUGUST 7, 2012 • mountainx.com
unfiled: Many sections of the Asheville Police Department’s evidence room looked like this when auditor Mike Wright examined it last year. Photo by Max Cooper
oTher Business Council members also: Unanimously approved a resolution asking Gov. Bev perdue to veto HB 1009, which would open the door to transferring Asheville’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District. A study committee headed by state Rep. Tim moffitt of Buncombe County has recommended the move. Rejected a request by local ’boarders to allow skateboards on some downtown streets as alternative transportation, with a “four wheels down” safety requirement. Most Council members voiced safety concerns, and the proposal was defeated on a 3-4 vote with Bellamy, Vice Mayor esther manheimer and Council members Jan davis and marc hunt opposed; gordon smith, chris pelly and cecil Bothwell supported the relaxed rules. Voted 5-2 to approve the Hunter Apartments project, which would convert two abandoned houses near downtown into duplexes. But because neighbors had filed a valid protest petition, six votes were needed for passage. Approving the project, they maintained, would increase density, thus harming their neighborhood. Manheimer and Davis agreed. Supporters said the project would eliminate an eyesore while providing affordable housing close to the city’s core.