Free Republic

Dead people will no longer receive a funeral escort from the Asheville Police Department. Neither will police respond to calls reporting theft under $1,000, fraud, identity theft or simple assaults. The Asheville Police Dept. blamed the cutback on services as a result of a severe shortage of officers. Since 2020 the department has lost 30 percent of its officers and detectives. Police Chief David Zack told the local newspaper that delayed response times — for crimes, such as fraud and many thefts under $1,000 — and even more service cuts are likely as APD struggles to fill vacancies that now...