Police Department



Steve Padgett
Police Chief
106 Montreat Road, Black Mountain, NC 28711
(828) 419-9350, Fax (828) 669-8143

Monthly Activity Report

The Black Mountain Police Department is an integral part of the community. In recognition of that role, we emphasize fair, consistent, and equitable enforcement of the law through public outreach efforts that allow us to extend and enhance our presence throughout the area. Our mission is to provide the community with premium law enforcement services designed to insure the maintenance of a quality of life that residents of and visitors to the area have come to expect. We accept the challenge that our mission offers and dedicate ourselves to the fulfillment of that mission through the vigilant enforcement of laws and ordinances designed to protect both life and property from those who choose not to abide by the community standards. Our mission cannot be accomplished without the assistance of community residents and visitors. That assistance is key to our success as your law enforcement providers. Our approach to law enforcement stresses building relationships of trust with those that we are hired to protect and serve. Together, we can make the community of Black Mountain the kind of place that visitors want to move to and residents do not want to leave.

The Black Mountain Police Department is headed by the Police Chief  who leads a force of 17 full-time officers engaged in various aspects of police work. The Department provides its own dispatch service that is manned by four full-time personnel and a number of part-time employees. One of the most obvious benefits of the provision of this dispatch service is that the community will find the Black Mountain Police Department open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A reserve force of sworn volunteers that currently numbers 20 augments the existing full-time staff. Our staff is charged with protecting more than seven square miles and over 7,600 full-time residents. The task becomes even more daunting when one considers that our population swells with part-time residents and visitors in the summer and fall of each year.

 Commitment to Community
The Black Mountain Police Department is committed to working with the community to make this the ideal place in which to live and visit. We pride ourselves on employing community-oriented policing techniques to accomplish our tasks. Of particular note in these techniques are our voluntary home checks for those who are out of the community on vacation; downtown foot patrols; bicycle patrols; wellbeing checks; and, increased patrols in problem areas. All of these programs are designed to place emphasis on community relationships and the assistance that the public can provide in the protection of the community.

Another component of our community outreach program is our work with the youth of the area. Through programs such as career days at local schools and our participation in the Kid-Safe program we reach out to children and young people. Not only can these young people provide us with valuable information that will assist us in our efforts to protect the community, they also stress to the children and young adults the need for and the value of community involvement. One of the reasons that our town is such a special place to live and visit is because the population believes in giving back to the community. Our work with the youth of the community stresses an important aspect of that spirit of assistance.

Protecting Your Property
It is a great idea to photograph and write down the following information about valuable items that you own: brand name, serial and model numbers, and any additional descriptive information that will assist you in identifying items in your home, garage or workshop. Make several copies of this list and place them in secure, separate locations. We certainly hope that your property is never stolen, and we shall do everything in our power to insure that it is not, but in the unfortunate circumstance that someone takes your property, this information will be invaluable in our efforts to locate and return it to you. In addition, this type of inventory can prove to be very beneficial for insurance purposes in the event that property is stolen or lost in a natural disaster such as a fire or a flood. This is just one tip that will assist us in protecting you.

Downloads:
Mission Statement / Guiding Principals [ download PDF ]
Contact Sheet [ download PDF ]
Personal Safety Brochure [ download PDF ]
Home Safety Survey [ download PDF ]
Community Watch Brochure [ download PDF ]

Links:
Animal Control
Buncombe County Sheriff

Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley
Emergency Services Chaplaincy program