Richmond Police Department and Richmond Fire Department briefed neighborhood leaders on staffing, crime trends and preparedness at the RNCC meeting on Monday.

Lieutenant Decius of the Richmond Police Department said the department currently has eight officers in field training and four trainees in the academy while continuing active recruitment to fill about two dozen vacancies. He said parking-enforcement staff perform a range of duties including encampment response and that one parking-enforcement representative has recently resigned.

Decius gave trend figures for recent months: a roughly 40% reduction in assaults, a 22% reduction in robberies, a 36% increase in burglaries, and decreases of about 25% in thefts and 23% in vehicle thefts. He said the department’s ShotSpotter activations are down 21% year to date and that the department’s automatic license-plate and camera network (described as the “Flock” camera system) has helped make 66 arrests since January for crimes including attempted murder, robbery and carjacking.

“Those camera systems are an amazing tool,” Decius said, while acknowledging the continuing staffing shortfall and urging residents to call dispatch and request ETAs if an officer does not appear promptly.

Richmond Fire Chief Aaron Osoyo reported that the department responded to 2,395 calls for service across July and August. He gave a breakdown: 10 working structure fires, 17 vegetation fires, 124 encampment fires, 18 vehicle fires and 1,370 emergency medical services calls. Chief Osoyo said the city has placed a new tractor-drawn aerial ladder into service at Hilltop, is taking possession of three Type 6 wildland engines to boost wildfire response capacity, and recently completed a large-scale drill involving refinery emergency teams.

Osoyo said a youth academy launched in August with 25 cadets and that the department has been training volunteers in CPR through CERT classes. Staff noted that the most recent CERT academy had about 48 enrollees and finished with roughly 38 graduates; personnel said running more academies is labor-intensive and that the city is partnering with neighboring jurisdictions to expand offerings.

Both departments described community-facing programs: Decius said parking enforcement and the Flock camera team will continue targeted enforcement and that residents can contact police for suspicious vehicles or encampments; Osoyo said the fire department, in partnership with the Red Cross, continues a free smoke-detector installation program for eligible residents and posts registration details on the city website. Osoyo said smoke-alarm installs are scheduled Wednesdays or Saturdays after residents complete a short online form.

Why this matters: police staffing levels and crime trends affect neighborhood safety and response times; the fire department’s new equipment and training affect emergency response and wildfire readiness. Residents asked for more visible communication when response is delayed and for expanded CERT training and camera placement in hot spots.

Next steps: police urged neighborhood councils to report repeat problems so patrol and parking enforcement can respond; the fire department said it will continue to expand training and coordinate on smoke-alarm distribution and CERT scheduling.