Richmond police report staffing gains, lower robberies and hundreds of recovered firearms
Loading...
Summary
Lieutenant Decius told neighborhood councils the Richmond Police Department has about 118 sworn officers, recently swore in five new officers, and reported declines in robberies, burglaries and vehicle thefts while noting three homicides year‑to‑date and 214 firearms recovered.
Lieutenant Decius of the Richmond Police Department briefed the RNCC on Nov. 10 about staffing and crime trends. He said RPD currently has about "118 sworn" officers, five officers were sworn in recently, and several more are in training and the academy.
Decius presented monthly and year‑to‑date crime figures: through October the department had two murders for the month and a third homicide over the weekend, 12 shots‑fired activations in October (a 14% drop month‑over‑month and 37% drop year‑over‑year), and reductions in several categories including robberies and vehicle thefts. He told attendees the department has recovered "214" firearms.
On patrol structure, Decius said the city is divided into nine beats (three districts with three beats each) and that at any given time seven to nine beat officers work those areas plus sergeants and a watch commander; officer schedules vary and overtime is used to meet minimum staffing requirements.
Residents used the session to press for detail on local incidents, encampments and outreach. Decius said he would provide specifics about a Saturday morning incident on Griffin in Parkchester to neighborhood leaders and that he has coordinated with Michelle Milam and public‑works staff to address encampment cleanup and outreach.
Decius also discussed trends across districts, noting some areas saw statistically large percentage changes (for example assault‑related metrics that rose in certain districts) and that staff continue targeted enforcement and intel work. He acknowledged staffing strains and mandatory overtime in some weeks.
The lieutenant encouraged residents to email details and promised follow‑up from crime analysts or the traffic unit where appropriate.
