RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In response to the recent surge of violence in Richmond, the city is looking to hire three violence interrupters to help the police department address violent crimes.
According to the job posting on the city’s website, candidates looking to fill the position will provide outreach and conflict mediation services in assigned areas or neighborhoods. Violence interrupters must establish a credible reputation in their assigned community. They will focus on gaining trust by working with high-risk individuals to help them connect with resources that would improve their quality of life.
Additional duties of the position include identifying potential shooting incidents, coming up with action plans to resolve conflicts, coaching high-risk individuals through stressful situations, keeping track of efforts in a database and giving presentations aimed at crime prevention to at-risk youth in the community.
The position is filed as a human services technician and prospective employees will be expected to work 40 hours per week in accordance with site-specific hours.
Ideal candidates will have excellent communication skills, a flexible work schedule and a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience working with at-risk communities and individuals.
The request for violence interrupters comes at a time when the city is witnessing a steady growth in violent crimes — a trend that does not appear to be slowing down. Last year, Richmond recorded 90 homicides, which is the most the city has seen in 15 years. Homicides involving guns are up 20% in Richmond this year compared to last year. Aggravated assault is up 22%.
Last week, the city saw six shootings in just five days. Four teenagers were shot in Richmond over the weekend and one died as a result. Earlier today, a man was critically injured from a shooting at Mechanicsville Turnpike near the Henrico County/Richmond City line.
“It has become too regular and too familiar of a scene each and every night to see the blue lights and the yellow tape because someone lost their life to a violent incident,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said last week.
Additionally, the city recently received a $500,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for a program that focuses on students from Martin Luther King Jr. and River City Middle School who have witnessed gun violence or have a sibling who has committed violence.
The city also hopes to launch a gun buy-back program before the summer and has also hired a community safety coordinator to help implement some of these initiatives.
