US NC: HOGAN - CITY TOPS DRUG ARRESTS

ASHEVILLE - Police released an array of statistics on drug arrests and
seizures Tuesday that Chief Bill Hogan said show the city as a state leader
in combating drug crime.

Police compiled the numbers after taking criticism that too little is
being done to stop drug dealing.

"I just think there's been some public commentary whether the police
department has been doing enough or not," Hogan said. "We have been
aggressive."

The statistics police compiled found Asheville in 2005 had the highest
drug arrest rate of any of the state's 10 other largest cities.

Asheville police made 127 drug arrests per 10,000 in population,
according to police numbers based on the federal Uniform Crime Report.

Wilmington trailed with 100 drug arrests per 10,000 in population.
Buncombe County made 82 drug arrests per 10,000 in population,
according to the city numbers.

City Councilman Carl Mumpower said police are not doing enough to
combat the problem. He said numbers from his own drug stakeouts point
to it.

"Statistical comparisons with other cities simply illustrates we are
failing a little less," he said. "It is still a failure that touches
everyone's future."

Other numbers released by police include:

There were 739 drug arrests from November 2005 through October 2006.
Of those, 308 arrests were made in public housing and 151 were for
dealing drugs.

In the same time period, police seized 8,094 rocks of crack cocaine
worth $161,000. More than half of those were seized in public housing
developments.

In 2006, police charged 45 people for being a habitual felon related
to drug crimes.