Latest / APD Pod Squad / Episode 10; Lt. James Boyce, Sgt. Hunter Welborn, and Sgt. Lucas Lovelace

Transcript

Episode 10; Lt. James Boyce, Sgt. Hunter Welborn, and Sgt. Lucas Lovelace · APD Pod Squad

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_05: This is the APD Pod Squad.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_05: Coming up in this episode, good news on the recruiting and development front, community engagement holiday happenings, and boozed it and lose it.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_05: Let's get going with episode 10 of the APD Pod Squad.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_05: Kicking off today's episode of the APD Pod Squad with the man I call Boyce.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_05: More on that in just a little bit.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_05: So, Boyce, thanks for joining me.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_05: When you get captured in war, they ask for name, rank, and serial number.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_05: I will ask you for name, rank, department, and how many years you've been with the APD.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: All right, I'm Lieutenant James Boyce.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've been here since 2006.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: So this is my 18th year with APD.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Done all kinds of things.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: I was patrol officer, moved into school resource after that, became a detective.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: After detective, I got messed around and got promoted to sergeant.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: So uh a little bit more responsibility there.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_05: That seems to be a common theme, something that I see a lot from uh officers that have been with the APD for a while.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_05: Working in multiple departments, is that to expose people to all the different facets and all the different departments and basically to gain knowledge?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_05: Is that what it's for, really?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it can be.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, a lot of people like career progression.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's about career progression and how can I further help the agency moving forward.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: As a supervisor, that's what I wanted to do.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to help the younger officers, help teach them, help train them, uh, mold them into good police officers uh for our department and the force in general.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: So you kind of move around a little bit.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um we have some opportunities here where you can get into specialty assignments, you can get into specialty roles.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And after a certain amount of time on patrol, you'll start looking for some kind of specialty to get into, whether there's community resource, school resource, you want to be a detective, traffic, safety, drug investigations, et cetera.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: So career progression is an important thing for everybody, in my opinion.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: And some people may not want to.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: They might they might want to stay where they are.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: They might be happy in their current role.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that's perfectly fine.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: But for me, it was it was more about career progression and helping the agency moving forward.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and right now, that's exactly what you're doing in the uh recruiting and career development area of our department.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_05: And and we've got some good news to share here in just a moment.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_05: I will say this first.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, you're one of the first people that I met.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_05: We're on the same floor, we're on the third floor.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_05: And uh as I'm trying to get to know people, and God, there's you know, a couple hundred employees here, right?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_05: So you're trying to learn names and uh some people wear you know name tags, and those are easy, but the other ones do not.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_05: And so I think for the first couple of days or maybe the first week, I was calling you James.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_05: And I remember asking, has anyone seen James?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_05: And they're like, Who's James?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_05: Uh and I start describing, oh, you mean boyce?
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_05: And that's when I was exposed to the whole everyone goes by their last name.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_05: Correct.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_05: That is correct.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's accurate.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, it's just kind of a thing.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh usually you call people by their last name.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, people are different, but I've always just been called voice.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's what people call me.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and here I understand it kind of once I uh we got like five guys named Josh.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_05: So it's just when you're trying to get things done quickly and efficiently, you would say, you know, you're gonna say Hill, or you're gonna say it just you say someone's last name, and it's less likely that somebody else will share that last name, and you know exactly who they're talking about immediately.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_05: For a civilian, it just seems a little cold and impersonal to call people by their last name.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm having a hard time adjusting to that.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_05: That is correct.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: You could be on a call for service and you hear James and you'll have two or three people turn their head around.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: But if there's not that many voices that work here, I think I'm the only one.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, see, there you go.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_05: Now, my last name is Rice.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_05: We actually have a couple of rices here.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_05: Uh correct.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, so you can just call me whatever you want.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_05: It's got whatever you care to.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_05: We also have another Rick uh here.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_05: And uh, and so I've heard people say once in a while, they'll say his first name, and and I don't know if they're talking about me or someone else.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it's a learning process.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I guess it's kind of like a preference like anything else.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, people start calling you boys, or they start calling you Rick, or they start calling you whatever, and you just kind of go with it.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's all about the preference.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_05: So are you from Asheville or are you one of the many transplants?
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I am presumably born in Tennessee.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I moved to Hendersonville when I was about three years old.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: I was raised in Henderson County, which is just south of here.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: So all my life I've been in Western North Carolina.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_05: You still have Ken in Tennessee, go back there once in a while, or no?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: No, Ken.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh my father was a pastor, so he moved around from place to place.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I was born in Tennessee while he was assigned to a church there.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't really like a family issue.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: It was more of his job that brought me into that particular state.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_05: And so Western North Carolina is what you know and what you remember.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_05: Correct.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_05: All right.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_05: So uh we've had some days with the Asheville Police Department in the past, say, five years where things weren't looking so good as far as our staffing.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_05: Things are turning around, and you've played a large part in that.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_05: And we've got kind of an exciting, I guess you would call this an announcement for people that aren't aware.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_05: We've posted on our Facebook pages.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_05: We've mentioned it, people within the department know.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_05: But we have our largest class of incoming recruits in, I believe, is it four or five years?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's been since 2019.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: So 2019, our last class of about the same size was 17.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: My staff and I were trying to beat that number, but we unfortunately weren't able to do so.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: But I am excited that we have brought in 15 new cadets for this next academy of class that starts on January 6th.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_05: And I think we were about as close to fully staffed as you can get in 2018-2019, correct?
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: It was getting I mean, we always have a little bit of retirement and resignation stuff that goes on, and we try to keep keep up to speed, but yes, it was closer to fully staffed, and way closer than it is now.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_05: Let's go back in the time machine to 2020 and where things started to go south for not just Asheville or our department, but you know, the country and the world, of course.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, we had the pandemic.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_05: Correct.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_05: And then, of course, you had the George Floyd riots, which occurred right here in Asheville and were quite well publicized and pronounced.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_05: And that led to a lot of officers deciding that maybe this wasn't their profession or maybe it wasn't their profession here.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_05: Correct.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_05: And our ranks dropped tremendously.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: That is accurate.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_05: Uh I believe the worst, we were just above 50% staffed, maybe 60%.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: 2021, we dropped all the way down to 164 officers.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And at the time, our allotted staffing was 238.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a pretty good substantial drop in numbers for our department during that 2021 time frame.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it takes a little bit of time for people to realize I don't want to be in this profession right now.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: They'll search for another job.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why it kind of pushed it into 2021.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but it was a result of the harsh public scrutiny from the 2020 era and, you know, the COVID issue that was going on at the time as well, the pandemic.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a combination of a lot of things that caused that.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: And like you said, it wasn't just here, it was a nationwide issue that all agencies in the United States of America suffered from.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: We got hit pretty hard.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: We got hit really hard.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: There are other agencies in the United States that got hit as hard as we did, but not many.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_05: But as police departments started to struggle with staffing, crime rates went up and people started to see the correlation causation, and the pendulum started to swing.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_05: And as public perception started to change, our ranks started to grow.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh obviously it kind of ebbs and flows a little bit.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: So this is not the first time that law enforcement has seen something like that.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the Rodney King issue also with the riots and the protest that in that particular situation where the pendulum kind of swings backwards and forward in regards to the outlook on law enforcement.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it it's sometimes unfortunate that one bad apple can cause the whole bunch to to appear to be spoiled.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: But that's not necessarily the case.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: But when it goes bad and it goes in the media, you know, people that's what they that's what they focus on is the bad thing that that occurred there.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_05: And that's gotta make your job awfully difficult as somebody that's you know trying to entice people to join the police department.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_05: It's tough to make that argument.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_05: It's like who wants to take that job on?
• 8:11
  unknown: Yeah.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_05: But things are turning around.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_05: So let's let's just kind of let's start talking about the good news because we have got some right now.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_05: We've got some.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_05: We've got a large class that is starting in January that I know you're very excited about.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_05: I've met quite a few of them uh around here, either in the gym or just in the hallways, and it's a really diverse group of folks.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, yeah.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_05: Different backgrounds, and you know, men, women, different ethnicities, all of it.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_05: We've got a tell us about some of them.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, one of our cadets is from overseas.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: He's from the Bosnia area, and English is not his first language.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: So he's worked here for quite a while, and he's been a really good asset for the police department.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: He does have military experience as well.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we also have a former cook.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: He worked in the restaurant industry for uh quite a while, and now he's decided that he wants to join the ranks of law enforcement.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: And he's a really good cook.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: I've had some of his food.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's pretty delicious.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we've got two uh individuals in our academy right now in the 15th class that were certified emergency medical technicians.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: So they've transitioned from one emergency service, now they're transitioning over to law enforcement.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Which is it's a good skill set to have for an incoming police officer.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: He may be the first person to arrive on the scene and someone may be bleeding and be hurt and have some kind of trauma.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it's good to have that kind of background in our cadet class to where they can actually apply their medical training and help that person better because of their extensive training in that particular field.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: We have an ordained minister in this class.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, he told us, you know, I'm an ordained minister, and I think that's really interesting.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: As I said before, my father's a minister, so kind of hit home for me a little bit.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: We have a high school athletics coach, a local high school athletics coach that is in our academy class, right?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me you can't wear those shorts around.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_05: Remember back in the day?
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_05: Remember the coach shorts?
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_05: Remember those things?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I do remember.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_05: Those tight nylon spandex-y shorts that all the coaches wore that just they hid nothing.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, yeah, they had the stripe on the side.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: I remember the stripe.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_05: He's not allowed to wear those shorts.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_05: But but he is welcome.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, he is very welcome.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh good addition that we've had folks in this class that are in construct that were in construction, uh, someone that was in the furniture business.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: So they have backgrounds uh outside of emergency services or law enforcement, and they've decided that they want to join us, and we're happy to have them here.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: We have a CNA that is in this class.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, that's good.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_05: I'm out of my taxes uh giving CNA.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, oh, oh, oh not an accountant.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_05: No, not an accountant.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_05: Damn.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, maybe next time.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and we have people that worked in retail.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it it's it's a a gambit of individuals that we have in this particular class, and I'm I'm excited to see it.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of military in this particular class is where we have a former sniper uh that's also in this class.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_05: So maybe future ERT for him.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: A bunch of veterans in this class, which we're happy to have veterans too, because they also receive good training uh that can be useful in this particular field as well.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_05: So walk us through the process, like basically from step A to step whatever that happens to be, uh, DC E or F to get them from applying, going through that process, then becoming a cadet, and then becoming an officer.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_05: Uh just give us the quick long and short of that.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Try to give a quick long and short.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a it's not a quick process.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: I know there I know there's a lot that's involved in it.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: It is a lot.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: It it takes around two to four months just to get hired.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: And that is due to the fact that we do extensive checks for individuals, obviously.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: So when they put in their application, we receive the application, then we send them invitations to join us for testing.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: And our testing consists of reading apprehension tests, you have to pass at least a tenth grade level reading test to enter BLET, which is the basic law enforcement training program.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: You have to be able to pass that test.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: You also have to take a FPSI test, which is a fire and police selection inventory test.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then we also physically test you.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: We make you run what's called the modified POPAT or the police officer physical abilities test.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: So it's modified a little bit because we don't really expect them to be able to do the complete thing yet because we're gonna work with them, we're gonna give them the physical training that they need before they go to BLET and while they're in BLET so that they can pass that assessment.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: And that is something that you must pass to graduate BLET.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Once they pass through the testing phase, then we'll bring them in for interviews.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll sit them down with members of the department.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: If they're coming in for a sworn position, usually it's mostly sworn individuals that sit on the panel and they will ask them a series of questions and they'll assess the answers and see how they're answering those questions.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: If they make it past the interview process, then we get into the more serious stuff.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: We get into your polygraph examination, we get into your health services appointments because we have to make sure the state of North Carolina requires that we do a medical assessment.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: You also have to do a psychological assessment.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: The state doesn't necessarily require a polygraph, but we do because we want to make sure that we have all the information to make an informed decision on who we're hiring coming in the door.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I got a polygraph.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you did.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Polygraph everybody.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_05: I did not enjoy that one bit.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_05: I don't mind saying it.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_05: Very nerve-wracking.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_05: It can be nerve-wracking.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_05: It it is a it can be an intimidating process in the polygraph room.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_05: Well, once all that you're you're through in and you pass, so to speak, all those processes, then you get your uh you're in the incoming class, and when does that begin?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_05: And and how does that how does that happen?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: So lately we've been bringing people in about a month early, uh hiring on about a month early, and we give them some pre-training, uh, a little bit of your high liability stuff that you will be physically tested on during BLET.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So your driving, your firearms, your defensive tactics stuff that you will physically be tested on during BLET.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: We kind of familiarize them with that a little bit and kind of gauge their performance in in those arenas to make sure that they're adequately prepared and that they're not gonna be any unforeseen issues, especially when it comes to the firearms training or whatnot.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Some people may not have any experience with firearms at all.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: So we need to make sure that we at least give them the safety issues um surrounding that particular subject and test them out a little bit.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Fill them out, see how they're doing, and that they come in, we do the pre-B LET class, and then they go into the basic law enforcement training program.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it is a very long program.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: It can take up to five months to complete the B L E T program.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it's gotten longer.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: We're actually in a pilot program here in Bunkham County with A B Tech, where they're testing out the new curriculum that the state has designed.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: So it has increased in hours.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so it takes about five weeks.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_05: And that begins in January, that portion, correct?
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: It begins in January, and I believe it's going to run through probably June.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_05: And so let's say in June they kind of graduate, uh, but they're still not entirely police officers yet.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: That is accurate.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's a long time it takes a long time.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's an arduous process.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_05: As well as should.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, this is a very important job and one that's under high scrutiny.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_05: So then what's next?
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: So once they complete B L E T, the basic law enforcement training program, we bring them back.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: And at APD, we give them extra training on the back end of basic law enforcement training.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like advanced basics, if you will.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's mostly things that our agency wants them to know and be aware of and be trained on, our policies, our procedures, how we like to do things specifically to this agency.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because as you well know, BLAT is a statewide.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's just basics.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's a statewide thing.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we bring them in and we kind of hone in on the Asheville Police Department specific trainings and policies that we require.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_05: So BLAT teaches you how to be a police officer, and then you teach them how to be an Asheville police officer.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_05: That is correct.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: So uh that training consists of some of the same stuff, firearms, defensive tactics, uh going through the policy manuals, making sure that they're up to date on their policies, making sure that we give them the escalation training, teaching them how to talk to people.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: That that's kind of a big thing too.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: Is in the digital generation, how do you talk to people anymore?
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And making sure that they're aware and they're trained on how to converse with someone, which I think is super important because this particular field is a lot of talking.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: You have to talk to people, you have to be able to communicate, you have to be effective with it.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so we teach them more things on the back end.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: So they have at least four more weeks of training on the back end of basic law enforcement training.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: When do they finally get the keys to the car?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's still a while.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: So we we put them through 16 weeks of field training.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: So once they get done with pre basic and then post, then they go into 16 weeks of field training with a police officer who is certified to train officers in the field.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it is also a tedious process.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: They have to ensure that they answer specific types of calls that they are exposed to everything that we think they they would need to be exposed to during that period.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: Your high liability calls, your day-to-day report calls, everything uh they get exposed to.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: And they get to ride with a seasoned officer, someone that's been in law enforcement for a few years.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they've got their feet under them, they've been through the training course, they know the ropes, they know the policies, they know the procedures, and that person really takes them under their wing and guides them into becoming their own solo police officer.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: And in the field training program as a police officer, you kind of take tidbits from each one of your FTOs because they don't just ride with one, they ride with multiple.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: And each one of your FTOs kind of leaves an impact for you of I might take that from this FTO and use that particular skill set, or I might, I might not take that and use that particular skill set.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: So they they're they create their own policing strategy.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I mean, like snowflakes, no two officers are alike, no two uh field training officers are gonna be alike.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_05: And you you take the hopefully the positives from all the experiences, and it's like, I like how he did that.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_05: That fits my personality, I'll do it that way.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_05: I like how she did that.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna take that and incorporate that.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_05: And so hopefully you get the best of all worlds.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I don't like how they did that, and I will make sure I don't do that.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_05: Well, that too.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_05: That's not something I will do in the future.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_05: Correct.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_05: But at when it's all said and done, I mean, that's like a year-long process.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: It takes about a year.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: It takes about a year.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_05: You must be like a proud papa, though, when it's all said and done, and like you, your your kids are now officers in a way.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you know, kind of.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: It it is.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's um kind of fulfilling to see someone realize their dreams, um, their goals.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: I've had officers that have tried to be police officers before in the past and were not successful or ended up having to back out for family issues, but it's always been something that they wanted to do.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: And to be able to see someone step into that role fully and put on the badge that they've wanted to wear for a long time is fulfilling.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe that law enforcement isn't necessarily a job, it's not something that you just apply for just on a whim, it's something that you feel compelled to do or you feel called to do.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: And being able to watch them walk across their family member, come up, pin the badge on them, yeah, is important.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_05: I can't I've been to several of these ceremonies now so far, and it it's a it's an emotional day, it's an emotional time.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_05: You can see the a lot of them have their uh, you know, some people with their spouses there or their family members there.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_05: It could be a mother, a father, or other, and you can just see how proud they are.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you know, they're just beaming.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_05: And that's that's what they need.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_05: They need that support system as well.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: You need people behind you.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason is we just talked about it.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: They go through rigorous training, they go through, and it takes a long time.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: It takes a long time.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was in the academy, and the very first day I walked in, and the case on the right hand side of the room had our badges in it, and they had our names underneath them.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: So at that point, it was like, I gotta earn that.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: And they feel the same way.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: And when you get the badge pinned on you, you know you earned it.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody gave that to you.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it is earned, it is something that you worked hard to gain.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's not something to be taken lightly.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's a huge responsibility.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: It is, like I said, a calling, and you have worked for about a year to even be able to get the badge and put it on your chest uh at that point.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: And to have your family and friends there supporting you is indescribable.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_05: Let's say somebody is is thinking about it right now and they're listening.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_05: Uh if they that they're hearing that calling, they want to be an Asheville police officer, and they're like, okay, what do I need to do?
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_05: What would be the steps they would have to take uh to join the APD?
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_05: Where do they go?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_05: How do they sign up?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_05: How do they get involved?
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: So uh we do have a website, joinashvillepd.com, is our website.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can go there, it can kind of direct you to where you need to go.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, there is also like governmentjobs.com.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: We're posted on a lot of different platforms.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: The city has our own website, so you can go into Google and type Asheville Police Hiring, uh, and you can find us online.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: I would just go in to government jobs, type in Asheville Police Jobs, and fill out an application.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: That is the first step.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Put in the application so we can go ahead and start the process with you immediately.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: If you have questions, feel free to contact our office, the Office of Recruitment and Career Development at the Asheville Police Department, and one of our recruiters will be happy to speak to you.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's another thing that is kind of exciting.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: We with the uh difficulty in recruiting right now, I do have a recruiter now.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: And that's something that we've never we've never done before.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Have a full-time, like this person is recruiting, that is their job.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a necessity at this point that we have a full-time recruiter that can answer these phone calls and help people get through the door.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: So Sergeant Ricardo Martinez is our recruiting sergeant.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: Sergeant Jonathan Morgan is our hiring sergeant.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: So you can feel free to reach out to either of those individuals, or you can reach out to myself if you are interested in joining the Asheville Police Department.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_05: Safe to say things are looking up at the APD so far.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's still a work in progress.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've still got some goals in mind that uh I'd like to see come to fruition, but it is looking very promising.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_05: We'll call you cautiously optimistic.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_05: Cautiously optimistic, that is correct.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_05: Lieutenant James Boyce, thanks for sitting down talking with us today.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_05: No problem.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_05: I appreciate you having me.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_05: Taking a seat now on the APD Pod Squad studio is Sergeant Lucas Lovelace of the Community Engagement Division of the Asheville Police Department.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_05: You guys are always busy, but it's the holiday season, so even more so now.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks for joining me today.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you for having me, Rick.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_05: So what is going on, man?
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_05: I know you guys have been out and about everywhere.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_05: Tough to chase you down.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: We are all over the place right now, in different areas of the city, just trying to give back a little bit.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_05: I I know uh you were out at one thing that I used to be involved with in a different capacity for years.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_05: You were helping out with the Ingalls and Eblin charities, iHeartRadio, Toy Drive for the St.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_05: Nicholas Project.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_05: You were out there for that on a cold day, too.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: Very cold, but enjoyable.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: Got to meet a bunch of great people, people traveling from all over the area, folks from Tennessee coming to drop off gifts.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, great opportunity to for us to partner with Eblin, Ingalls, iHeartRadio, all those.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: It was amazing.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_05: I know Officer Cora was down there.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_05: People love seeing her.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: She is always a fan favorite of everybody.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: And you get a chance to get a toy and then walk well core over there, give them some cookies, and they get to pet her, just changes people's lives.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_05: But that's just one of many things you guys were doing uh in these past few weeks.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_05: Tell us about a few others.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we've been partnering with many different agencies, but uh just recently on December 4th, we had Starbucks come to the city.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: They wanted to give back, say thanks to all the first responders.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: So we had them set up and partnered.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: They gave out cookies, they gave out coffee, they gave out pastries, but a really good opportunity for us to mingle with them, them to be able to say thank you to all the employees in the city.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: So that was a great opportunity that we had.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_05: It was another cold morning.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_05: It was down there at the Public Works Building, and it was a great day.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_05: It was well attended.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_05: We loved it, but boy, I'll tell you.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, there were some troopers out there.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the one gentleman that got out from Starbucks came out with shorts.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_02: I really was questioning his uh his intelligence there for a second, but really great group.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: I was excited to partner with them, and hopefully we'll be able to do that again.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_02: We like to go out to Starbucks and meet with them, do coffee with a cop.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: So hope to do that again in 2025.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_05: It was good to see them uh open a new building.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_05: We would say uh a reopening in the Biltmore Village area, but it was a different location than their previous, which got destroyed because of Helene.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_05: So one of the businesses uh starting over.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, and that was one of the big reasons that Starbucks wanted to come to us.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: The one in Biltmore Village was the original Starbucks for all of Asheville.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: And so they're not sure if they're gonna be able to build it back right now.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_02: They're they're working through the process.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so their goal was to work with us and and really say thank you to the first responders.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_05: You know, a lot of communities do a version of uh shop with a cop or whatever you want to call it around Christmas time.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_05: Is that happening again this year?
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so we've had a chance to partner with Target and also the FOP Auxiliary.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we'll be doing helpers and heroes, is what we call it.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: But uh yeah, this is an opportunity for us to go out, shop with the the kids, make sure they have a great Christmas.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_05: This is just a great time to be part of the uh community engagement division.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_05: You guys are always active, but this time you really get to see the smiles on children's faces and delivering toys.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_02: We we are.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: It is amazing.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: We've had a great chance to touch a lot of different folks, but we're partnering with those groups.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we've also got a toy run uh that is coming from New Jersey, a group that has been we've been working with for the last probably month and a half since Hurricane Helene.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_02: They reached out to us, said, hey, we want to do something.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_02: We want to give back to the families of Asheville.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_02: And so they put together a truckload of of items, bring it down here.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna give it out to families.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's gonna be a great event for us to be able to see and work with uh outside partnering agencies from other states.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: That's a pretty long drive.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's about a 10 or 11 hour drive, it sounds like they're gonna be pulling trailers.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh big deal though.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: Something that I think everybody, this this this hurricane touched a lot of people.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: It didn't just touch us and it affected us, but it outside groups from places that we would have never guessed are now willing to come help us at Christmas time.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_05: Now, a lot of times traditionally toy runs uh incorporate motorcycles.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_05: So are any of them gonna be riding down, do you think?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: I think it may be a little cold to drive eleven hours from New Jersey down here, but I I wouldn't put it past them.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: Folks that are are motorcyclists, they it doesn't make a difference.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_02: The the the the weather doesn't change them.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_05: You know, I know you've got a little history in New Jersey.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_05: Uh and New Jersey search and rescue were a big part of our operations during Hurricane Helene.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_02: Worked directly with them with our drone unit.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: Uh those guys were great to work with.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we were with them for two straight weeks.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_02: They were working sun up to sundown, uh, but really an opportunity that we got to really work hard with them.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_02: We got to be out their boots on the ground and see what they were willing to do for us, not knowing any of us.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and we saw that so much from so many departments and uh not just here in North Carolina, but uh New Jersey.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_05: We had firefighters from Los Angeles and and all over the country, and I'm still hearing from organizations that are calling us and saying, How can we help now that the holidays are here?
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_05: It's just it's heartwarming.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, we get calls to our community engagement unit daily, emails, how can we give back?
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_02: How can we help?
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: Is there a family in need?
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: And so we're taking those phone calls, we're either helping them work together to to help a family or we're giving them to the next person who can do that.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_02: We may not have it right away, um, but we know there's a place where we can say, hey, this group, I know they can they can use your your services.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_02: So we don't you know it's been amazing.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody wants to help us.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_05: Let's say someone's listening right now to our podcast.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, and I'm joined right now by uh Sergeant Lucas Lovelace of the Community Engagement Division of the Asheville Police Department.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_05: If they want to get a hold of you or anyone in your department because they want to help, they want to give, not just at Christmas, but uh in any capacity, how would they do that?
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_02: Two different ways.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: Email, you can go to the APD communityengagement at ashevillenc.gov, or you can call 828-271-6145.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_02: Either way, we'll get those, we'll be able to respond back to you and hopefully be able to help them any way we can.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so give them those one more time so people have them.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_02: It's apd communityengagement at ashevillenc.gov or 828-271-6145.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_05: So Christmas just around the corner, or maybe when someone's listening to this, it might be after Christmas, this podcast recorded.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, it's not live, but what do you have coming up?
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we have uh Hearts with Hands is doing an event, hope for the holidays that we're gonna be at.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna be there.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_02: They're giving back to the community as well, so we're gonna be there as a community engagement unit.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: Then we just had a blood drive with the blood connection, and then we're gonna have another blood drive in February, the Battle of the Badges, February 19th, where we'll work with the Red Cross for that.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but really we're busy throughout the holiday season, and then come January we're gonna start new programming and get the new year kicked off right.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_05: Now it'd be a good time to uh give you some props.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_05: We had a little uh uh little holiday feast, uh, what was it a couple of weeks ago, whatever it was, and I'm like, hey, who made this corn casserole?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_05: That was you.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_02: I I did make it with my wife's recipe, but my hands were in the batter making it.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_02: That is correct.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_05: So do you cook all the time, like just on the regular?
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_05: Do you like to do it?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I enjoy cooking.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: I I like to come home and be able to do something with my daughter, and so cooking is one of those things that we like to do.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_05: You and her as a family?
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_05: It's a great, it's a great way to kind of connect with with I mean, I cooking, food, gathering, eating, all of that.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_05: So you if it if you're not just you know calling Uber and having eats delivered, that's even better.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: No, I'd love to love to come home and cook with my daughter, get it ready for my wife when she comes home and have a meal as a family.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_05: You guys got some big plans for uh Christmas, you and your family?
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna be with family from Shelby, we're gonna be from with family up here, probably eat too much, but that's just what it's about.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_05: That's exactly what it's about.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_05: How about your uh you have a daughter, you said?
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_02: I do, yeah.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_02: Six years old.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: She is very excited about Santa.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh hopefully she'll be excited with what she gets.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_05: That's almost like the Christmas age, isn't it?
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it is it is perfect.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_02: I can't wait for Christmas morning to watch her come down and see the smile on her face.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: That just that's the best thing.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_05: Maximum enjoyment at age six.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_05: I don't remember much from age six, but I think I got a bike right around then, six or seven, somewhere around.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_05: That's a good, that's a good toy to get at about that age.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's that's all I seem to remember about that.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_05: Well, you and your family have a very merry Christmas.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_02: I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year and a safe new year, too.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_05: Sergeant Lucaslav Lace, thanks for joining us today.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_05: Joining me now on the APD Pod Squad is Sergeant Hunter Wellbourne.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_05: We're gonna talk about Booze It and Lose It, which is part of the Governor's Highway Safety Program that the Asheville Police Department fully embraces.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_05: And with the holiday season upon us, if you're planning to irish up that coffee or rum up that eggnog, don't get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_05: Sergeant Wellbourne, thanks for joining us today.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_05: We're gonna treat this as a little kind of uh mini getting to know, which is a segment that we feature here on the APD Pod Squad.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_05: And so to get to know you a little bit, because this is the first time that we've spoken really.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_05: You couldn't even find my office.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_05: Where were you born?
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I was born here in Asheville.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_05: Asheville City or surrounding area.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's correct.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh was born at Mission Hospital, uh, grew up in East Asheville in the Hall Creek community up until uh middle school and then moved out further to West Asheville, the Candler area, and I've been here my whole life.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_05: So you're one of those rare locals, like I am.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_05: A true native.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_05: That's right.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_05: You have something in common with my wife.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_05: She probably tells people that she works currently in the hospital where she was born, Mission Hospital, and she went to Asheville High.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_05: What was your high school?
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: High school was Inca and Reynolds at the time.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: I did a little bit of time at both.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_05: All right.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_05: Now, here's another question we like to ask people a little getting to know thing.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me one thing about you that most people don't know.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_05: It doesn't gotta be a secret or nothing, but just something that people just don't know about you.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I'd say that people started to learn it the more that I've worked here, but most folks don't know that I'm third generation at the Asheville Police Department.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: My family worked here.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: My grandfather, my father, uh, my aunt uh did some time here and was ultimately medically retired.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: But my name has been a part of the Asheville Police Department for a long time.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_05: So you're a bit of a legacy here.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_05: That's is that kind of what got you into doing it?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_05: Just being raised in that uh that kind of atmosphere, or is it lended itself for you to join the force?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_05: So who was the most instrumental, do you think, at kind of influencing you that way?
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_05: Would it have been your your grandfather or uh it would have been my father?
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_05: Father?
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_05: Fantastic.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_05: Is he still with us?
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: So he uh retired right before I started and uh is now down in Greensboro uh working on a second retirement.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: He was here until 2012, and then I started uh the following year.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_05: He must be pretty proud, huh?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'd like to think so.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, fantastic.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_05: So what we're gonna talk about today with the holidays upon us.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_05: Uh something that really we do year-round here is uh awareness for uh drunk driving and things of that nature, which are, you know, in a city like this, with so many bars and restaurants and breweries, and of course, uh usually, although not so much now, tourism, uh a lot of people in town is is drinking and driving and the dangers of that.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_05: So uh we have a lot of campaigns, and one of them people are familiar with Booze It and Lose It.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it's pretty self-explanatory, but uh tell us a little bit about that.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: Booze it and lose it uh is it's something that's done across the nation.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we do all of our campaigns through the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's initiative-based, uh, and it's there for us to educate the community, educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving, and then it's also an opportunity for the police department uh and be it all local, state uh agencies to come together and increase enforcement efforts uh to prevent what we all don't want to see is those fatality crashes that are either alcohol or drug impaired related uh collisions.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_05: So that's the worst case scenario, obviously, is uh somebody that is drinking, driving impaired in some way takes the life of someone else.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_05: Uh so that's that's bad all around.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_05: But there's also a lesser thing that can occur if you're drinking and driving and you don't claim a life, you're maybe not even in an accident, and that's getting something like that on your record, which can also change your life forever.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_05: And people don't think about that as as much as they should.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh a tiered system, most definitely, and it's it's gone through its changes through the legislation and things like that.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I I used to hear it all the time uh when I was uh part of a driving while impaired task force, we would go out day in and day out, and all we did was go and look for impaired drivers.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_01: And people almost take it as a badge of honor or a token here in Asheville, being Beer City and breweries on every corner, and now distilleries are starting to pop up, which in increases our alcohol concentrations and things like that.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_01: But it's minimalized very much so across the board in this city.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't really understand why.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, because you do have the the loss of your license, uh, you could have the blow and go, the interlock system in your car, your insurance rates go up, you could lose your car, um, all these things that could happen to you just by getting pulled over or in a minor collision that involves law enforcement, not necessarily one that brings in uh a fatality or or serious injury.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_05: Sergeant Hunter Welburn joins us now.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_05: We're talking about booze it and lose it and the consequences of that.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it in times are tough out there.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_05: You could lose your job.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_05: You could spend time behind bars.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_05: Your life could inexorably be changed forever.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_05: Just one stupid decision.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: We we have so many options available to folks now with taxis that have been around forever.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_01: You've got Lyft, you've got Uber, the ride share apps are continuing to grow.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: Call in a friend, like the the old adage like um don't let your friends drive impaired.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_01: Don't be the one that drives impaired.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh pick up the phone, call for somebody.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't understand why people feel the need to make the decision to drive while they're impaired, just simply to get their car home.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like your argument is to get your car home, knowing that the risk that you're taking could lose your car or your ability to operate that vehicle.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: So the decisions that we make will always lend to consequences.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it's always best for us to try and put that foot forward and get the the educational value out there to know that your car will be there the next morning and you can go pick it up later and not jeopardize your life, others' lives, and the the the right to drive.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's never okay to drink and drive because of the possible ramifications.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_05: But you know, back maybe 20, 30, 40 years ago or whatever, with more limited options for ways to get home.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_05: Not that there was sympathy to people that did it, but you're just like, oh, I gotta wait like two hours for a cab or blah, blah, blah or might there might not be another option.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_05: I got nobody to call, mom's asleep, you know, whatever.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_05: That's really not any excuse anymore.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_05: The way these ride shares work.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, not only will they pick you up from the bar and take you home, then you can call them the next morning to get back to your car.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_05: So there's there's really no excuse anymore because of the availability of Lyft and Uber and all of those things, you know?
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: None at all.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely no reason for anybody to be consuming alcohol, ingesting drugs, taking medications uh that could possibly impair them, and then making that decision to drive.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: There's far too many options for you to get to that family gathering, to get to that the bar to celebrate your office Christmas party.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever it is, uh, if you know ahead of time that you are going to be consuming alcohol or uh there's other things that could be taking place that might impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely, it's up to you to have that plan in place on how you're gonna get there or how you're gonna get back to prevent those negligent choices.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_05: You know, the the thing that's always fascinated me is occasionally you will see the rich celebrity that gets caught for drinking and driving.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_05: Somebody that's worth like millions.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_05: He makes$15 million as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, for an example, or whatever.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_05: And I don't have anybody's name in mind.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_05: I'm just that's you know You're telling me you have to get behind the wheel of a car, a person that has any other option in the world.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_05: You wonder what's going through their mind when they decide to drive themselves home when they're not, you know, able to do that.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's just crazy.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and it's it's all in the effects of impairment.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: That one of the first things to go is your judgment and your ability to make sound decisions.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: I've taught SFSTs for the last five, six years now, and we do controlled drinking sessions where I have folks come in and I dose them to a level that I need to get them to to have the students test them so we can do these standardized field sobriety tests.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: And during those tests, I'll ask folks, I'm like, how do you feel right now?
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_01: And would you drive your car?
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, halfway through that drinking session, they might register a 0.03 or a 0.04 uh as far as their blood alcohol concentration, and they'll tell me, absolutely not.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: I would not drive a car.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: We get further into that drinking session, and now they're a 0.08 or a 0.09, and we've surpassed that per se limit for the driving while impaired statute, and their judgment has gone out the window, and now they're like, I feel fine.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: I could absolutely drive a car.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: So you you've got the the factors of impairment that also play a huge part in that, and it's up to you to understand what your body can handle and what you know because everybody's a little bit different when it comes to alcohol intake and drug use and things like that.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: But what you have to understand is that the more and more you drink, the less likely you're gonna be able to make the right decision.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you need to make the decision before you have the drink, I think is the key.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_05: And you need to have friends around you that are willing to tell you what you don't want to hear.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_05: Uh so it's it's your job as a friend if you see your buddy or something or a family member or something.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_05: It's your job to step in.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_05: And and I don't want to sound preachy here, because first of all, anyone that knows me knows that I really enjoy a beer.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_05: Uh I I enjoy a glass of bourbon, but I have learned over the years what to do and where to do it.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_05: You know, so it's really not a matter of don't have that drink.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_05: We're not telling you to do that.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_05: It's just a matter of you have a ride home if you're going somewhere.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_05: Or in my case, when I know I'm having a few that I'm sitting back watching football all day long, I'm doing it at my house where I'm not going to cause anybody damage except for maybe if the cat gets in the way sometime, but that's about it.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_05: So it that's the have a plan beforehand.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_05: I think that's the key.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: Make that plan, designate somebody in your group uh that wants to be the designated driver.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you're going out multiple times for the holiday season, alternate it.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: If you've got family coming into town, pick that one person, make sure that person sticks to their promise.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna be the designated sober driver.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: They're not designated sober driver doesn't mean I'll have two or three and then stop.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_01: It means that I will not drink, I will not partake in any of these festivities, and I will be the one promising you the safe passage home, promising all those on the road the safe passage home as well.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure that everybody's clear on their role and everybody understands uh who's doing what and when it's time to be serious and when it's time to let loose and enjoy the holiday season.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_05: So the booze it and lose it, I know the uh Ashville Police Department, other law enforcing agencies are always on the lookout for impaired drivers.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_05: But is there a certain focus?
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_05: Is there a date when we're doing this one booze and losing campaign for this uh Christmas season?
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_01: So the holiday booze it and lose it campaign uh is set for December 16th through January the 5th of 2025.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it will cover Christmas Eve into Christmas Day and then also through the new year.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: The efforts behind it is to promote that statewide awareness and enforcement efforts behind the driving while impaired statute.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_01: We want to ensure that we are increasing public awareness and also increasing our efforts to ensure that everybody's able to enjoy family and the holiday season.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_05: So they can really have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year, which won't be the case if you're arrested for drinking and driving, or even worse, you know, wreck your car and hurt or kill somebody.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_01: We don't want to see anybody out there that's in a situation where we have to come into contact with them and arrest them.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: And we definitely don't want to have to be the ones that are telling folks that their loved one isn't gonna come home because somebody made the poor decision to drink and drive.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_01: It it life is all about choices.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that the more that we look at it in any scenario, but specifically to this driving while impaired and the booze it and lose it campaign that we do, it's uh we're we're all only one choice away from a totally different life.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I hope that everybody has a good holiday season and we all make the right decisions to ensure a safe and merry Christmas for all.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_05: Sergeant Hunter Wellbourne, thanks for joining me today.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_05: Stay safe out there.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_05: That's a wrap for episode 10 of the APD Pod Squad.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_05: My name is Rick Rice, and thank you for joining us.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_05: Make sure you like, subscribe, whatever it takes, so you don't miss a single episode of the Pod Squad with your podcaster, Spotify iHeart.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_05: We're available everywhere.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_05: From me to you, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_05: We'll see you in 2025.