HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Residents in Henrico County's Eastern Fairfield District say their neighborhoods feel safer this year, and new statistics may explain why.
Henrico County has recorded only two homicides through early December 2024, compared to 22 during the same period last year — a 91% decrease if the numbers hold through the end of the year.
"You can let the kids outside. And just like I said that, that laughter from children is very refreshing," said Malcolm Lee, a local resident.
Tiffany Williams, another resident, noticed the change in her daily routine.
"I also can say it's safer to be outside, even if you just have an emergency, you got to walk to the store. Now you can actually walk alone, but last year you couldn't," Williams said.
The dramatic improvement surprised even local officials. Henrico Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said he was shocked when he heard the numbers from the police chief.
"I thought he was talking about fiscal year, which starts July and not January, knowing where we've been the last few years," Nelson said.
Given that Henrico has averaged just over 20 homicides per year over the past five years, Police Chief Eric English attributes the drop to several factors.
"We started to see a trend in terms of gun seizures over the past few years, where our officers have been very proactive. I've been doing a lot of traffic enforcement. They have taken a lot of guns off the street, a lot of illegal firearms," English said.
English said detectives have been able to close robbery and shooting cases quickly, and the department has focused on areas more vulnerable to gun violence.
"We've also focused in some areas that are more vulnerable for gun violence than others. And so over the years, we've really concentrated in those areas, and we started to see those areas experienced a lot of the reduction in violence," English said.
The chief also credited community cooperation and new technology for the improvement.
"Technology has been really, really huge as well. You know, between license plate readers, our Nyman machine that's able to connect different shootings, I think, has played a huge role in helping us reduce, you know, the gun violence and homicides we've seen," English said.
While acknowledging the dramatic decrease in homicides, English noted that shootings remain relatively close to last year's numbers — 34 this year compared to 39 last year. He said luck may also be playing a role.
"There's been shootings that we've had where people got shot, and we've been fortunate, you know, with the number of rounds that have been fired, that people haven't been seriously injured," English said.
Nelson said the positive trend provides a foundation for continued community building efforts.
"Whether it's having more things for our young people to do. We've got community walks to happen every month, where public safety spreads out with elected officials. We knock walk, walking neighborhoods, knocking doors. We've got community revitalization out there," Nelson said.
Residents like Lee, who has lived in Henrico for about 15 years, are noticing the difference.
"It's pretty safer. As you can see, we got a lot of police patrol now. More in Henrico, they really hands on more. They help a lot more. The response time is quicker, very quicker," Lee said.
Williams expressed pride in the county's progress.
"I'm very proud of Henrico County. From 22 to two, that's a good job. Keep it up," Williams said.
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