ASHEVILLE - City police wanting to search people will face new restrictions, including on how they obtain permission from drivers or pedestrians before going through their property.
The changes mandated Tuesday night by City Council were part of a dramatic 5-2 vote that went against the wishes of Police Chief Tammy Hooper.
The biggest change is that police will have to get written permission before conducting a search unless they have reasonable grounds or "probable cause" to believe a crime has been committed.
Police now can get verbal consent from drivers or others before conducting such a search.
The council can't make the changes itself because of the structure of city government; the elected body instructed Interim City Manager Cathy Ball to have police enact the new search procedures.
The vote came after attention from activists to data on police traffic stops and searches that showed a disparity between the racial makeup of Asheville and who is stopped and searched. African-Americans were subjected to the procedures at a higher rate, according to the data.
It also came in the wake of an infamous August police beating of a black pedestrian which some council members said has caused a crisis in relations between local law enforcement and African-American residents.
This story will be updated.
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