HOPEWELL, Va. -- Less than a week after an eight-year-old girl was shot and killed in a Hopewell drive-by, city leaders have approved a plan to combat violence.
At a Thursday night meeting, Hopewell City Council unanimously voted to adopt a national program called Operation Ceasefire in hopes to combat violent crime.
In their vote, Hopewell said they are making sure the program is in partnership with a Richmond-based program called REAL LIFE, which defines their mission as "assisting individuals who have been impacted by incarceration or those battling addiction to overcome barriers and obstacles".
Thursday night's special meeting came following Del. Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield) researching community-based solutions the city could get funding to help curb violence.
According to Hopewell Police, homicides went from two in 2021 to nine in 2022 and violent crime rose by 71%.
Coyner presented her research to the council and brought in REAL LIFE, who is trained in group intervention.
She described Operation Ceasefire as a program focused on group violence intervention that would focus on the specific groups of people who are connected to the violence based on past and current crimes.
Coyner said the program is designed to give them the option to accept resources and support from a number of organizations in Hopewell that are part of the problem as these programs and resources could range from mental health resources to housing, food, addiction, mentorship and more.
The program is designed to let them know if they continue to commit crimes, legal action will be taken in conjunction with police and the Commonwealth's Attorney.
"We want every person here to be safe, alive and free. We want for every single person in our city to be on the same page and a unified voice,” Coyner said.
Hopewell Chief of Police AJ Stark attended Thursday night's meeting and vocalized his passion for curbing the violence, saying he was in support of the new program.
“It’s a new year and everyone is committed to being bolder and stronger. I’m energized by seeing you here tonight. I’m energized by our community saying enough is enough,” Starke said. “We can’t arrest our way out of this. It has to be a community approach. To have a safer approach, it takes our community standing with us."
Del. Coyner will now work with the City of Hopewell to submit paperwork to receive the funding. They are hopeful the funding process will begin in February.
REAL LIFE said once the funding is secured, the city will partner with the national network of safe communities that specialize in the training of the Operation Ceasefire program. They plan to work with the Hopewell Police to do a deep dive into the data of crimes over the last few years, specifically what people and groups are causing the problem.
Experts in the program would then train the organizations and community involvement on how the program works, hoping to call meetings with those who are causing problems to kick off the program in June.
