Hendersonville Police Department
Public Monthly Report

July 2026

Chief’s Monthly Summary 

City Manager John Connet’s announcement this month came as quite a surprise; at least to me. John has served the City of Hendersonville commendably for more than a decade. He is a highly experienced manager respected across the state. It has been a pleasure working for him these last 5 ½ years. I wish him the best, and I know he will continue serving the citizens of North Carolina in his new role. 

However, his sudden announcement reminds me that things can change at any given moment. And as leaders, it is better that we stay ready rather than having to get ready when it is too late. We must constantly prepare for what tomorrow brings.  

God willing, my tomorrow is a few more years down the road, but readying the agency for my departure is my highest priority. The book “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling describes this as my WIG, my wildly important goal. According to the authors, execution starts with focus. Without it, there is only an accidental chance of accomplishing the goal of preparing the agency’s leaders to succeed beyond me.  

Goals have a law of diminishing return though. The more one has, the lower the likelihood of accomplishing them becomes reality. My challenge then is to get the entire agency to share this wildly important goal without forgetting everything else we must accomplish. How do I do that though? How do I determine what battles help us win the war without getting distracted in the process? 

During the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Lee set a plan into action where winning individual battles would lead to victory in the war. He might have succeeded if not for Union General Chamberlain who had his own plan. He was focused on winning the battle in front of him rather than the next one. His defense of Little Round Top ensured a Union victory and ultimately led to the end of the Civil War. The discipline to stay focused on what he felt was most important was the difference. Life comes at you fast and from every direction. Having a plan and executing it matters. 

In the coming months, we will build an intentional succession planning strategy. We will identify one or two wildly important goals and then the specific measures to help us succeed. We will execute that plan over the coming few years. We will diverge from a vague strategic intent to communicating a set of specific finish lines to help us win in the end. Until then, we march on… 

One Team, One Goal. We are Mountain Excellence. 

Call Statistics

% change describes the data compared to the previous month's numbers

Calls For Service

• Calls Answered: 5,526; +0.93%
• Calls Dispatched: 2,794; -0.96%

Traffic Safety

• Traffic Stops: 278; -16.3%
• Citations Issued: 138; -38.4%
• DWI Arrests: 3; -40% 
• Motor Vehicle Crashes: 105; -19.2%
• Injury Crashes: 15; +15.4%

Top Five Crash Locations

1. Chimney Rock Rd at Carolina Village Rd/Orrs Camp Rd (6) 
2. Chimney Rock Rd at Highlands Square Dr (5) 
3. Chimney Rock Rd at Howard Gap Rd (3) 
4. Asheville Hwy at N Main St (3) 
5. Spartanburg Hwy at Greenville Hwy/S Main St (3) 

Crimes, Reports, and Arrests

• Custodial Arrests: 67, -1% 

• Incident Reports: 110, -6% 

• Drug Offenses: 19, +6% 

• Larcenies: 30, -12% 

• Assaults: 15, +15% 

Employee Actions

• Lt. Cantwell and Lt. M. Capps competed to fill the vacant Captain position. The person selected will lead the Patrol Services Bureau. 

• Sgt. J. Smith and Sgt. Gyurina competed to fill two vacant Lieutenant positions. The individuals selected will lead patrol teams. 

• Officers Putnam, Young, Nix, Bradley, McCraw, Gunnin, and Tinoco competed for three vacant Sergeant positions. The individuals selected will be assigned to various teams in the Patrol Services Bureau. 

• Two Officers resigned their positions effective immediately. One is getting out of the profession, and the other accepted a position with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. 

• Chief Myhand participated as an assessor to help the City of Spartanburg, SC find their next Police Chief.  

Complaints and Findings

• A complaint was filed alleging that the Hendersonville Police Department improperly towed a vehicle, and that officers failed to assist the complainant. The complainant also alleged an officer was rude during the encounter. These allegations were investigated. Ultimately, it was determined that HPD did not tow the vehicle. The complaint was unfounded.  

• A complaint was filed alleging officers extended a traffic stop for an unreasonable amount of time, that an officer lied to the complainant, and that an officer made unprofessional comments. This allegation is currently under internal review.  

Vehicle Pursuits and Findings

• While conducting a driving while impaired investigation, the suspect of that investigation fled the scene in a motor vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect vehicle until the suspect vehicle struck a fixed object disabling the suspects' vehicle. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. Officers were able to locate and take the suspect into custody. There were no injuries. This pursuit is under review.  

Use of Reasonable Force (UORF) Incidents and Findings

• Officers responded to a report of a breaking and entering into a business. As officers searched the building, they located a suspect inside. One officer pointed their firearm at the suspect until it could be determined that the suspect did not possess a weapon, and there was no threat to officers. The suspect was taken into custody. There were no injuries. This incident is currently under review.   

Operations and Notable Events 

• A search warrant was executed on a device following an investigation involving possession of child pornography.  

• Detectives are investigating a shooting that resulted in the injury of a teenager. This remains an active investigation, and no additional information can be shared publicly at this time.  

Police Social Work

• Co-responded 23 times in July.  

• Completed 44 client visits and follow-ups from referrals from officers.  

• Cammy attended a Community Meeting on Youth Homelessness Systems Improvement and continues to work with the city to develop the Unhoused Strategic Plan.  

• August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day and is a time to remember those who we have lost to overdose, support families, individuals, and communities impacted, and raise awareness about prevention. Increasing awareness and reducing stigma are the key to preventing overdose deaths. Purple is the official color of International Overdose Awareness Day. Wearing purple is a simple way to honor those who we have lost. Together as a community, we can raise awareness and show our community that no one must face these challenges alone.  

License Plate Recognition Systems (LPRS) Monthly Usage

• Chief Myhand will chair a LPRS Working Group for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Over the next six months, this group of national leaders will focus on informing public policy, defining industry’s best practices, and establishing guardrails for the collection, use, and retention of LPRS data. Stay tuned for more information. 

• Two missing people were located safely in Hendersonville. One person was reported missing from Florida, and the other was reported missing from South Carolina. 

• Officers used LPRS to identify and generate a lead on a vehicle involved in the hit and run crash. 

• Officers used LPRS to identify and generate a lead on a larceny suspect.  

• Officers used LPRS to locate a stolen license plate reported to our agency. 

• Officers used LPRS to locate a stolen vehicle reported to our agency. 

• Officers logged 665 individual searches in the LPRS system in July. Most searches involved the same vehicle being checked several times. 

• To provide appropriate oversight into the use of LPRS by our agency, we conduct monthly audits of LPRS searches. During this month's audit, there were no inappropriate uses identified. 

• By clicking the transparency portal link, you can see exactly how LPRS are being used by the Hendersonville Police Department. Visit the transparency portal.

• We have included a public search tool on the transparency page. The public can now see every search the agency does within the month. Specific details are excluded to protect individual privacy, of course. Use the link above. 

• The agency’s policy can be found online under 1006 - License Plate Recognition Systems - Hendersonville Police Department (NC) - PowerDMS. View the LPRS policy. Please provide feedback on our policy if you would like to see any changes made. 
   

Community Outreach and Special Events

• July started with the America 250 Anniversary parade which was very successful and enjoyed by many. This event was a full Main Street closure and was staffed by officers from Hendersonville, Fletcher, Laurel Park and Henderson County. Many thanks to those agencies for assisting us with such a large-scale event.  

• Rhythm and Brews Concert series, this was the second of five through the summer and early fall.  

• Henderson County Emergency Management hosted a free week-long day camp for high school girls from the Western region to explore various emergency services jobs. The camp visited Hendersonville PD on July 28, 2026, where they toured the building, saw police equipment, and had the chance to speak with female officers from HPD, Highway Patrol and Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.  

SRO Activities

• SROs attended the state SRO conference. 

• SROs attended the final summer sessions of STAR Camp hosted by Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. This program includes 5th grade students where SROs act as mentors, take part in outdoor activities and field trips at no cost to the students attending. 

Fraud

• To report cyber-enabled crime to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and for further resources and data collection by the FBI, please visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center website.

• To report scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and for further resources and data collection by the FTC, please visit the FTC fraud reporting website.

Budget Summary

• We have 89% of the fiscal year remaining.
• We have 90% of our budget remaining.
• View the City of Hendersonville Budget Dashboard

Recruiting and Retention

• 2 of 19 non-sworn employee vacancies exist.
• 5 of 51 Police Officer vacancies exist.
  • (15) applications received
  • (1) in background
  • (0) conditional offer(s) made
  • (0) rejected
  • (0) withdrawn

Learn more about employment with the Hendersonville Police Department.