RICHMOND, Va. — Henrico County released its 2024 crime numbers this week, noting a downward trend compared to 2023.
Police Chief Eric English said there's been a decrease in violent crime, but people living in certain so-called "crime hot spots" say the numbers aren't reflective of what they live daily.
"And you never know if the shots whether if they go in the air and come down into your apartment. I grew up on the south side of Chicago so I know sometimes there are accidental deaths, stray bullets and nobody wants to deal with that when they are trying to build a family," Albert Armstrong told CBS 6 Crime Insider Jon Burkett.
Armstrong moved into an apartment on Delmont Street less than a year ago. He says scenes like this playing out made him quickly realize the move was a mistake.
"With the amount of rent I paid and just moving in, I couldn't pick up and go. It was hard to just want to leave but because I'm kind of used to it. I was able to tolerate it," he said.
Last May, Armstrong and others living on Delmont had three weeks of consistent violence in their community. Even with those cases, Chief English says violent crime numbers to include shootings and homicides are trending down.
"We are starting to trend in the right direction so hopefully in 2025 we can see a significant decrease in homicides," English said. "We are still working at that, trying to hit some of our hot spot areas to ensure officers are responding to gun shot calls as well as arresting individuals creating havoc in our neighborhoods."
Henrico police credit technology and the board of supervisors investing in policing for their recent successes.
"The gun shot detection technology, it gives us an opportunity to respond to those communities a lot quicker when we hear gun shots because again some of those communities are not calling 911."
License plate readers and a NIBIN machine that can scan a bullet for its ballistic fingerprint are also available to help solve cases. Chief English pledged there would be a police presence in troubled communities, something Armstrong says he has seen, but would rather not rely on.
"I don't think they can do anything more to help but if everybody would treat others how they want to be treated, we might be able to do a lot better!" Armstrong said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky| Facebook| Instagram| X| Threads| TikTok| YouTube
