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Roanoke police report sharp year‑to‑date drops in shootings and homicides, crediting new strategies
Summary
Chief Scott Booth told Roanoke City Council that gun‑related homicides fell from 22 to 6 year‑to‑date and nonfatal shootings from 44 to 15, attributing declines to zone accountability, group‑violence intervention, RESET rapid response, partner services and earlier detective response. Council asked about sustainment and clearance rates.
Chief Scott Booth told Roanoke City Council on Sept. 3 that the city has seen substantial year‑to‑date declines in gun violence compared with the same period in 2023. “We have had 6 [gun‑related homicides] so far this year compared to 22 in 2023,” Booth said, and reported 15 nonfatal shootings versus 44, figures he described as a roughly 65% and 55% reduction, respectively.
Booth credited the reductions to several coordinated strategies: assigning captains as place managers for four high‑risk quadrants, a group‑violence‑intervention (GVI) model that pairs enforcement with services, the RESET rapid engagement unit to respond to traumatic events, partner programs such as hospital‑based interruption, and operational changes that now send detectives early to nonfatal shooting scenes. “When we identify them, we actually give them the opportunity to say, ‘hey, you can change your ways,’ and we’ll connect you with service providers,” Booth said.
Council members praised the update and pressed for details on case closures. A council member noted a higher number of cases closed by arrest, asking whether increased trust and engagement are affecting clearance rates; Booth said improved trust and early investigative response both contribute to higher case closure. He also confirmed the department uses NIBIN and ballistics imaging as part of early evidence gathering.
Booth described accountability measures that tie mid‑level managers and captains to specific neighborhoods and data: captains report monthly on actions taken in downtown, Belmont, Hunts‑Lincoln Terrace and Lansdowne. He said the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission and state funding for a GVI coordinator (Eric Mayo) helped build the model.
Council did not take formal action on the briefing; members and the chief framed the presentation as an update and asked for continued reporting on sustainment and partner roles. The council thanked the police and community partners for the collaborative approach.
The next routine update on violence‑prevention work was not given a specific date during the meeting.
