Former Democrat sheriff blames anti-cop rhetoric, bail reform for crime surge in popular tourist destination

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Crime soars in Democrat-run tourist town in North Carolina

Former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan, who left the Democrat Party, joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss how crime spiraled out of control in Asheville as the city grapples with police shortages.

A former Democrat sheriff blamed anti-police rhetoric Wednesday for the crime surge in Asheville, North Carolina, as rising crime has hit the popular tourist destination in recent years.

Former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan, who left the Democratic Party, joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss what led to the crime surge in recent years as fears surrounding public safety loom. 

"Even though we were making good strides in the community and reducing the crime rate, we still saw ourselves coming in as a negative in the community and in the eyes of some of the leftist politicians that were… getting elected at that time," Duncan told co-host Todd Piro.

HOMICIDES DOWN BUT VIOLENT CRIME UP IN MAJOR US CITIES AS MIDTERMS APPROACH

"So when officers have to work under… those conditions, when they're out there really serving the community well, and we see high dismissal rate with the district attorney, low cash bail or no bail for these folks who are just being turned back loose into the community, it becomes very frustrating for the officers," he continued. 

"And we've seen retention problem both with the sheriff's office greatly and also with the city police department."

An Asheville Police Department vehicle parked in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. (Fox News Digital)

Asheville, a city of approximately 90,000 people nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Buncombe County, North Carolina, has seen a 31% surge in violent crime per 100,000 people from 2016 to 2020, according to statistics released in the spring. 

Asheville's growth in violent crime is nearly double that of the national average and ranks among the highest in North Carolina, where violent crime has increased 13% statewide.

"We have a very large homeless population here in Asheville, and what we've seen with the dismissal rates for panhandling, for loitering, for those type things that really … makes it tough for them to operate here in Asheville," Duncan said. "When you see those kinds of dismissal rates, it's very discouraging for the officers."

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"It also provides no deterrent for the folks who do those things to go back out and do them again," he continued. "As our district attorney said, it's not against the law to be homeless, but it is against the law to commit those crimes and really kind of put a damper on business and make it hard on your town."

Asheville has so far seen 11 homicides in 2022, setting it on pace to surpass the homicide rate of 2021 and 2020. Rates of homelessness have increased 21% since 2021, according to data released in May. 

There is also evidence of increased Mexican drug cartel activity in the area, according to multiple law enforcement sources who spoke to Fox News Digital.

Fox News' Jon Brown contributed to this report.