Suffolk council hears public‑safety report: crime down, camera citations fall, fire response totals high

Suffolk City Council on Monday received an update from city public‑safety leaders covering crime trends, traffic‑camera enforcement, staffing and Fire & Rescue operations.

The police chief told the council the department recorded 65,658 self‑initiated calls for service during the July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025 fiscal year and reported a 17% decline in overall crime compared with the previous year and a 25% decline over three years. "Our crime rate is down 17% based on this time last year," the chief said, adding homicide was down 83% and robbery, burglary, larceny, vehicle theft and arson were also lower. The chief credited community partnerships and outreach — including roughly 180 events organized by outreach coordinator Joan Turner — for improved reporting and public engagement.

The department outlined technology and staffing initiatives the city has supported, including a transition to Axon in‑car and body‑worn camera systems, auto‑tagging of recordings and the Axon My90 feedback system that lets residents survey officer interactions immediately after a response. The chief also described a multi‑million‑dollar Canon records‑management‑system replacement led by Major Epperson and said the department is pursuing grants for operational upgrades.

Traffic and school‑zone cameras were a focal point. The chief presented year‑by‑year citation totals showing 93,344 camera citations when the systems first went live in 2023, 60,978 in 2024 and 17,000 in 2025 — an overall decline the department summed to about 81.15%. "I believe the cameras are working," the chief said, arguing the falling citation counts indicate behavior change. Councilmembers asked about legal limits on camera placement (noting a statutory limit of one red‑light camera intersection per 10,000 residents) and whether more cameras could be added in work zones and school zones; staff said placement requires a documented safety rationale even if a fatality has not occurred.

The chief also outlined facilities and staffing needs: the department expects to occupy roughly 5,000 square feet on the ground floor of the Virginia Pilot Building in the fall of 2026 for office and storage space, and staff recommended creating a third police precinct near Holland Road/Kenyon Road to improve response times as development and traffic grow along Routes 58 and 460.

Fire & Rescue chief Brockie reported 21,486 incidents and 52,277 unit responses in the same fiscal year, explaining multiple units routinely respond to single incidents (for example, a building fire might generate several engine and ladder responses). He said medical calls make up a large share of workload (about 15,176) and that the department estimates it limited property loss substantially by early suppression efforts.

The fire chief highlighted the department's regional and training work: Fire Station 11 is open; a $7.6 million grant to fund three years of salary for 36 firefighters has been executed; and the city is pursuing a grant‑supported regional burn building that will serve Tidewater localities and support joint training with police and state agencies. On behavioral‑health response, the chief described a Marcus Alert/988 mobile unit staffed with a clinician from Western Tidewater Community Services Board and a paramedic (staffed 11 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays). That mobile response logged 347 incidents in a year and performs longer, often multi‑hour patient encounters and follow‑up through community paramedicine to reduce repeat hospital visits.

Councilmembers praised outreach and operations, asked for more detail on camera rules and precinct siting, and urged building Fire Station 4 with four bays instead of three to meet projected demand. Asked about a recent Hilton fire, the fire chief said burning wicker furniture on a back porch produced smoke and a broken window but the quick response kept the fire from spreading into the building.

The session closed with council direction to meet in closed session later in the evening on specified real‑property parcels; the council later voted 7–0 to approve that closed‑meeting motion.