Mayor Dyer launches mayoral task force on safety, aims for recommendations by October

Mayor Robert M. "Bobby" Dyer told the City Council on May 19 that he will convene a mayor's task force focused on public safety and community responses to rising youth violence and quality-of-life concerns. Dyer said he had asked state legislators to help co-chair the effort and is aiming to have the task force gather, develop and review recommendations over six meetings with a goal of delivering proposals by October.

"We would like to have it completed by October," Dyer said, and described the group as bipartisan and broad, with potential co-chairs Senator Christie New Craig and Delegate Michael Fegans and representation from stakeholders such as the Atlantic Avenue Association, Commonwealth's Attorney, faith-based organizations, juvenile probation, public health professionals, the school system and youth participants.

Dyer said the task force will be both immediate and long-term in scope: he asked for rapid relationship-building and short-term ideas while also seeking longer-term work such as school-based programming (de-escalation, anti-bullying) and parent engagement. He emphasized that some recommendations will require legislative action in Richmond and that the task force will seek to clarify legal and administrative limits where necessary.

The announcement followed Council discussion of public safety trends and will be followed by staff coordination to populate the task force, schedule the meetings and identify listening-session formats in neighborhoods, Dyer said. No formal council vote or ordinance establishing the task force was recorded in the meeting minutes; the mayor invited council participation and nominated legislative co-chairs by name.