Hopewell police report overall crime declines but more 'shots fired' incidents; department outlines enforcement and recruitment

The Hopewell police chief presented the department—s August crime report, citing declines in many crime categories alongside continued attention to incidents of shots fired.

The chief reported that violent crime was 53 incidents in 2024 and 55 in 2025, describing that figure as a 4% change. He said robberies were reclassified from 12 to 11 incidents, with seven arrests and one outstanding warrant; aggravated assaults declined from 44 to 37. "We're down minus 16%" in aggravated assaults, the chief said. Property crimes were down about 29% overall, with larceny falling from 181 to 152 incidents. Motor vehicle thefts were down significantly; the chief said the city was down "minus 67% in motor vehicle thefts." Overdose data for 2025 included three fatal incidents and 23 non-fatal incidents (a total the chief listed as 26), and the department credited distribution of Narcan and emergency response as contributing to reduced fatalities.

The department said it is continuing recruitment and training efforts (39 applications, 12 sworn vacancies, four officers in the academy) and described community policing activities including foot patrols, business checks, and traffic enforcement on Randolph Road. The chief noted outreach and prevention steps tied to verified shots-fired reports, including Hopewell Alerts to notify residents and increased officer canvassing and evidence collection.

Council thanked the department for the results and discussed potential traffic-calming measures as a complementary enforcement and public-safety approach.