RICHMOND, Va. -- After 2021, one of the most violent years in Richmond in at least 15 years, Mayor Levar Stoney's public safety measures are falling into place for a safer city.
On Tuesday evening, in his State of the City address, Stoney discussed violent crime and how his administration plans on spending grant money to get to the root of the violence epidemic.
"Gun violence has plagued this city for far too long,” said Stoney. “We need to do more. A lot more!"
Gun violence, accountability, police recruitment and retention are the important issues the mayor said he's focusing on in 2022.
"No mother should have to bury their child because we haven't done enough," Stoney said. “Our families deserve better and I know we can do better."
There were 93 homicide victims last year.
There have been dozens of shootings so far in 2022, but only three homicides — with most shooting victims coming away with injuries that weren't life-threatening.
"We are going after guns and locking up violent offenders,” Stoney said. “In order to prosper, our city needs to be safe: safe at home, safe at school, safe at work. And we have to be tough on violent crime, and the root causes of crime."
Some faith leaders CBS 6 spoke with on the phone said they’re skeptical. For a safer Richmond, they say all parts of the judicial system have to be on the same page.
Over the past few years, they said we've seen low secured bonds and ankle monitors being used to hold accused killers accountable.
The officers who haven't left the force are seeing the people they arrest return to society sometimes with a slap on the wrist, and they believe that lowers morale and depletes retention.
Police recruitment and retention are issues Stoney also spoke about during his State of the City.
"The Richmond Police Department is currently working on new recruitment practices, seeking more diverse applicants,” Stoney said. “We’re exploring how they can remove barriers, such as testing requirements, or the inability to take home a car and also offer assistance with student loans."
The mayor said the relationship between officers and citizens is a two-way street, and that his administration will continue the process with the council to develop a civilian review board that works for the city.
