CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — State and local leaders held a public safety forum in Chesterfield on Thursday to update the public about the ways they are trying to curb violence in the Greater Richmond area.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and local police leaders spoke at a public safety forum on what is being done about the rising tide of crime in the Greater Richmond area.
Miyares provided an update on “Ceasefire Virginia,” a statewide initiative to lower crime through prosecution and prevention. The program focuses on 12 high crime cities across Virginia, including Richmond and Petersburg.
Miyares said that in the Richmond and Petersburg area, Ceasefire Virginia is already involved with over 29 different criminal cases. Many of these cases involve the possession or use of Glock switches and machine guns or the illegal use of firearms as part of violent crimes.
There are 98 active cases across the state, many of which are targeting at risk youth, gang members and drug traffickers.
“If you’re gonna decide to cross up on and commit violence against your neighbor, you’re going to be held accountable,” Miyares said.
On the ground, violent crime continues to be an issue across the Greater Richmond area. In Henrico County, there have been 13 homicides so far in 2023. Meanwhile, Chesterfield County has seen a 7% in crime this year compared to 2022.
Richmond has had 146 violent crimes in 2023, which is a lower crime rate than this time last year. However, other types of crime in the city are up.
“We have seen a rise in the property crime…that’s the catalytic converters that we are speaking about,” Richmond Police Deputy Chief Sybil El-Amin said. “We’ve seen increases in shoplifting, so we have seen increases.”
Local law enforcement officials are hoping their own efforts paired with the state initiatives will make a positive difference in the amount of violent crime.
However, this is goal is made more difficult by another topic that took center stage during Thursday’s forum — staffing issues plaguing local police departments.
Richmond and Chesterfield police leadership both said lack of staff is a challenge they are working to overcome. Richmond Police leadership said that as of Thursday night, the department is down 170 officers and actively trying to recruit more.
