Police chief reports declines in homicide and nonfatal shootings, outlines active-shooter and domestic-violence strategies

Chief Rick Edwards told the Public Safety Standing Committee that Richmond’s overall violent crime trend is improving in key metrics: he reported homicide down about 57% compared with the same period last year and nonfatal shootings down about 33%.

Edwards highlighted a drop in certain robbery categories and said the department expects continued improvement in violent-crime indicators. He described traffic-enforcement priorities, a transition to digital citation devices to reduce stop time, and continued deployment of monthly enforcement blitzes in targeted corridors.

On active-shooter preparedness, Edwards described an alert training program funded by the state that pairs police and fire personnel in a Rescue Task Force model. "The first goal is to stop the killing... The second part is just as important and that's stopping the dying," Edwards said, describing firefighters trained to render immediate lifesaving care in a warm zone protected by police officers.

Edwards said domestic violence is a priority: the department is cataloging outstanding domestic-violence warrants, prioritizing arrests and supporting a Family Justice Center to provide services and remove barriers for victims. Council members urged greater coordination with child-welfare and social-service agencies and asked the administration to evaluate a second-responders program to strengthen victim services.

Chief Edwards answered questions from the committee and said the department has improved its readiness and interagency coordination since last year.