Chief Rick Edwards presented the Richmond Police Department’s 2024 year‑end crime statistics to the Public Safety Standing Committee, highlighting several multi‑year trends and new or expanded response tools.

Edwards said Richmond recorded 967 violent crimes in 2024, below the city’s 10‑year average of 1,150 and, he said, the first time in more than 20 years the city recorded fewer than 1,000 violent crimes. Homicides for the year were 53, below a 10‑year average of 60, and Edwards described the department’s homicide clearance figures: a year‑to‑date clearance rate of 56.6% and an IBR (Uniform Crime Reporting/Incident‑Based Reporting) clearance rate of 88.7%, the latter of which Edwards said includes cases cleared in subsequent years.

Edwards said individual robberies are one of the largest areas of violent‑crime reduction — he contrasted 2014’s 427 individual robberies with 173 in 2024 and described targeted “hot‑spot” policing and technology‑assisted arrests. Nonfatal shootings rose slightly to 200 in 2024 after a prior drop; Edwards said the city reached a high of 257 in 2022.

Edwards warned about thefts of firearms from unlocked vehicles: 540 firearms were stolen last year, he said, and those stolen weapons are often used in violent incidents. He said motor vehicle theft and attempted theft remain elevated even as the city saw a 6% reduction in motor vehicle thefts from the prior year; the department counted 1,469 motor vehicle thefts and attempted thefts in 2024 and said roughly two‑thirds of incidents involved unlocked vehicles.

The chief outlined several operational programs and trends: the city’s safety camera expansion (new sites including Thomas Jefferson High School and Richmond Technical School of the Arts), a grace period for warnings that Edwards said ends Feb. 26 before citations begin, a free wheel‑lock program for certain Hyundai and Kia owners who are city residents, 124 firearms collected at a recent gun buyback, and distribution of 100 grant‑funded gun safes for residents in need.

On staffing, Edwards said precinct authorizations and actual staffing levels differ by precinct; he said the 2nd Precinct is authorized for 97 officers and currently has about 67 or 68 assigned. He also said the homicide unit is authorized for 16 detectives and had one vacancy at the time of the presentation.

Committee members pressed Edwards on speed‑enforcement data and the placement or movement of speed cameras; Edwards said the city will analyze camera performance, coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Vision Zero guidance, and redistribute cameras as needed. He also said the department has created enforcement capacity such as motorcycle officers dedicated to radar enforcement and that he can provide comparative data on speeding citations versus prior years.

Edwards framed many of the improvements as the product of law enforcement, legislative changes (he cited lobbying that contributed to a state law criminalizing “auto sears” devices), and community programs. “We were able to solve … we cleared 14 previous year homicides, including one from 1998,” he told the committee. He said the department will continue targeted operations at hot spots and work with partners to address repeat patterns of theft and violent crime.

The presentation included maps and breakdowns by neighborhood; committee members used the discussion to cite resident concerns about speeding on corridors including Walmsley Boulevard and Forest Hill Avenue and requested additional data and follow‑up from the chief.