Black Mountain Police Chief on graffiti, annual fundraiser

Black Mountain has seen an increase in graffiti around town, according to the town's police department.

In an April 26 Facebook post, the department said the town has been "plagued with graffiti" and encouraged any resident who saw anything "suspicious" to report it.

"If you have graffiti on your property, make sure to report it, record it and remove it immediately to discourage more graffiti," the post said. "If Black Mountain Police find the perpetrators we will prosecute to the fullest and request restitution on the property owner's behalf."

Now, Police Chief Steve Parker said two juveniles have been arrested in connection with the graffiti and the department has identified a third person as of May 10.

"We're just trying to go in with a zero tolerance policy on it," Parker said. "We don't want to see the town lose value because people are not cherishing this beautiful town."

Parker said the police department first noticed an increase in graffiti in February. He said as temperatures have gotten warmer, he has noticed more of the vandalism popping up. Parker said there was no specific place the graffiti was occurring, but rather it was all over town.

More:Black Mountain begins budget talks for next fiscal year

Police fundraiser

The Black Mountain Police Department will host its annual fundraiser June 9.

Parker said the "Hacking for Heroes" golf fundraiser is the department's biggest of the year. He said the money raised from the fundraiser goes to helping families in need.

Parker said last year, the department was able to feed 28 families for Thanksgiving. By partnering with Buncombe County Schools, the department was also able to give gifts to 18 families for Christmas.

"It's a fun way for us to interact with the community while also doing something good and raising money for people throughout the community," Parker said. "It's kind of a way for us to get to know people throughout the community while having a good time."

Parker said his favorite part of the fundraiser is watching the families when the department is able to give out their donations.

This is the second year for the golf tournament. Parker said the fundraiser has been going on "for years," but it was getting difficult to raise enough money, so the department decided to switch to a different model for fundraising.

Those wishing to participate can play as a single player, or as a team consisting of two, three or four players. Parker said 12 more teams are needed this year for the fundraiser.

There are also sponsorship opportunities, ranging from a $100 hole advertisement to a $3,000 gold sponsorship.

For more information, call 828-419-9350 or visit birdease.com/BMPDgolf.