ASHEVILLE - Following a string of reported break-ins at businesses downtown, in West Asheville and in the River Arts District, the Asheville Police Department is offering tips on how owners can protect their shops and property.

On Feb. 20, Community Engagement Division Lt. Brien Griffin walked local business owners ― some in person, some remotely ― through steps they could take to curb vandalism, larceny and other crimes. The department has long offered security assessments and other services, but with a recent increase in break-ins, the demand for information has grown, Griffin told the Citizen Times.

“When this last group of break-ins happened, we got together and we were just thinking: What’s a better way that we can get it out to a bigger group, streamline it, get this out there,” Griffin said. “So, that’s why we decided to do this presentation.”

When, where and how many are happening?

In a Feb. 1 news release APD announced that it had arrested two men allegedly tied to more than a dozen break-ins at homes and businesses.

Though the meeting was mainly informational, APD has also seen an increase in requests for security assessments and active threat training, Griffin said.

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“APD Officers responded to 41 reports of break-ins (commercial and residential) downtown in 2022,” department spokesperson said in a Feb. 20 email after the training. “Just one month into 2023 there were 11 reports of break-ins (commercial and residential) downtown, a 200% plus monthly increase.”

She clarified that the 11 break-ins were just in January of this year.

The break-ins are not limited to downtown, Griffin said, noting some in West Asheville as an example.

“It kind of just all goes into one big package,” Griffin said of crimes tied to the break-ins. “They’re going to break in, they’re going to damage your property with vandalism and they’re there to steal something.”

Several of the recent break-ins saw alcohol being stolen, Griffin said, as well as items that might be resold for a profit.

Concerns around mental health, substance use

In addition to crime concerns, business owners have spoken about certain “behaviors” they have noticed downtown, Asheville Downtown Association Executive Director Meghan Rogers told the Citizen Times.

The association includes about 300 businesses and nonprofits mostly downtown, she said.

“I can’t say for sure that they’re related to substance use or mental health,” she said. “That is an opinion that we hear a lot. … But we’ve just seen, you know, an uptick just in behaviors. You know, folks kind of screaming at folks as they walk by or following people to their cars at night or locking themselves in businesses’ bathrooms – things like that, that can cause some impact to the businesses.”

Over the years, she’s noticed that such conversations are “cyclical,” she said.

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Rogers has been executive director of the downtown association for about seven years, and has been with the organization for 11, she said.

“I will say the level of concern that’s come to me and other business leaders over the last – I would say a year-and-a-half, two years – is far more significant than in the eight to ten years prior.”

Tips to deter break-ins

Some of the department’s advice from the training session:

• Having proper and maintained doors, windows and locks is key to preventing breaking and entering crimes.

• Having good-quality, operable cameras along with proper placement in proper lighting is beneficial in solving crimes and apprehending offenders.

• Having an operable alarm system is beneficial and can be a deterrent.

• During the day, keep cash registers in plain view and in a well-lit area at all times. At the close of business, remove money, and any cash bags, along with the register drawer to be secured in another location out of plain view.

More break-in prevention training sessions are being planned with business groups, Booth said.

To report a residential or commercial break-in that has already happened, you can call APD’s non-emergency line at 828-252-1110. You can also report an incident online via Police to Citizen.

Ryan Oehrli covers public safety, breaking news, courts and other beats for the Citizen Times. Comments? Questions? Tips? Send them to coehrli@citizentimes.com or 252-944-6816. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville police offer training to deter local business break-ins