Company Profile
Asheville Police Department
Company Overview
The City of Asheville Police Department is dedicated to providing public safety and maintaining order and enforcing the laws of NC, upholding the US Constitution and enhancing National Security. The City of Asheville is committed to supporting a safe city with safe neighborhoods.
Guiding Principles: Integrity, Fairness, Respect & Professionalism
The department is fully accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This means the the department must follow certain standards for all functions of the department, but also including employee recruitment and selection. The Asheville Police Department is the only fully accredited agency in Western North Carolina.
Company History
Asheville's first police force was organized in 1849 and consisted of eight volunteers working under a captain. The Police Department was formally created by ordinance on November 1, 1875 and included a Chief of Police and four patrolmen. Today the department consists of 222 sworn members and 62 non-sworn employees offering full policing services to the City of Asheville. In July of 2017 City Council approved to expand police personnel to create and implement a new downtown district. In 2016 the Asheville Police Department responded to 156,101 calls for service, approximately 13,008 calls per month.
The Asheville Police Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate in employment or the provision of services based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy), gender identity or expression or familial status.
Benefits
All police department employees, sworn and civilian are offered the following benefits:
Tuition Reimbursement: funds are available for courses directly related to the duties of employment. This can include books, tuition, registration and lab fees. These funds are available on a first come, first serve basis and must be applied for through the City of Asheville.
Health/Dental/Life Insurance: the City currently uses Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Family members are covered at a rate comparable to other agencies. Employees can expand their coverage and obtain dental and life insurance plans at great rates.
Retirement: 401K match by the City, LGERS, NC Law Enforcement Supplement
The Asheville Police Department Incentive Program includes the following:
Education Bonus/Differential (sworn and civilian positions)
Language Bonus/Differential (sworn and civilian positions)
Shift Differential (sworn and civilian positions)
Senior Police Officer (sworn only)
Advance Certificate (sworn only)
Salary:
The starting salary of new recruits is based on education level and experience. The base starting salary is $35,722.96. Upon completion of Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) and NC State Certification as a Police Officer, the salary increases to $37,531.26. For the next 3 years the salary will be raised per City Council approval. At three years of service salary is increased to Senior Police Officer at $43,240.08 (salaries are subject to change).
The salary for civilian positions differs by position. Salary information for these positions will be available on the job posting.