RICHMOND, Va. — Despite a rise in crimes committed by juveniles in Richmond, last month Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards reported that violent crime was down three percent compared to the mid-year point of 2023.
That statistic headlined his mid-year crime briefing.
The update came after a violent spring that led city leaders and law enforcement to designate 21 city blocks as “hot spots” for crime.
In April, I visited one of those hot spots to talk with residents about what they were experiencing.
Now just over three months later, I went back to the 600 block of Westover Hills Boulevard to see what, if anything, has changed after police beefed up patrols.
“When I first moved in here, we heard a lot of noise and some gunshots,” Jarod Manley said as he unloaded groceries.
“It was outrageous,” said Dorinda Gill as she walked her dog. “I mean, literally, you hear gunshots late at night, arguing. One morning we got up, and there was a body near the trash can.”
WTVRManley and Gill were among the people living in one of the Richmond Police Department’s designated “hot spots” who say they know why it’s included on that list.