NC Congressman Edwards pushes for $500k AI initiative to fight Asheville crime

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards is now working with lawmakers to launch an initiative that invests in artificial intelligence (A.I.) in an attempt to better address crime issues in Asheville.

“It’s easy to surmise that we have a crime problem in Asheville,” Edwards said during an interview with News 13 on Friday, June 7. “We definitely have a real problem out there, and it’s my intent to not only criticize the problem but to help where I can… I recognize [this] by helping to bring a half a million dollars to Western North Carolina to these police officers to do their job, and it’s simply the right thing to do.”

Asheville Police Department reached out to Edwards asking for his support by investing in the Real Time Intelligence Center (RTIC).

ASHEVILLE POLICE TO GET ACCESS TO BUNCOMBE COUNTY REAL-TIME INTELLIGENCE CENTER

“When you’re talking about shots being fired, predominately that’s happening in relatively dense areas where you have families with children,” said Deputy Chief Sean Aardema with the Asheville Police Department. “It’s happening on school nights; it’s terrorizing communities. Congressman Edwards supporting us in developing that Real Time Information Center would be a huge benefit not only to us but to the community that we serve. That would be a huge win not only for the police department, but for the community that we serve.”

“It’s my job to work it through the various committees in the appropriations and make it part of the overall appropriations bill, to get the Senate to agree and, ultimately, get it on the President’s desk for a signature,” Edwards said.

CRIME TAKES A DIVE IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY: SHERIFF CREDITS STAFF, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY (2023)

Edwards said he is optimistic about his chances of getting this project passed.

“Being a member of the appropriations committee now, I like my chances much better of getting a project like that across the finish line,” said Edwards.

The RTIC would also help gather and analyze advanced technology and data to monitor incidents and track criminal activity. Aardema believes that this will help to target offenders committing crimes throughout the community.

Congressman Edwards’ goal is to invest $500,000 for the RTIC.