RICHMOND, Va. — More money is on the way to help reduce violent crime in Richmond following Monday's city council meeting, where hundreds of thousands of dollars were approved to help shore up initiatives through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
"The state has a dedicated source of funding for violent crime reduction strategies for local towns and cities, and we were able to leverage that," said Greg Hopkins, the office's director.
Watch: How Richmond's Office of Gun Violence Prevention plans to reduce violent crime in the city
Hopkins said Richmond applied for the Operation Ceasefire grants offered through the state last fall.
The State Department of Criminal Justice Services provides the grants for local governments, law enforcement agencies, and prosecution offices to look for ways that they can address crime.
The grants can be used for a variety of efforts like new technologies for law enforcement or prosecutorial resources. Hopkins said city leaders will use the $344,000 awarded for community-based programs, like increased police patrols in Shockoe Bottom following February’s mass shooting and efforts like the Operation Spring Forward initiative over spring break.
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"That will help complement services that we already have existing through the Safer Communities grant, but as we have opportunities to pivot, meaning if we see trends begin to change in fall of 2026, we can do that leveraging the funding through Operation Ceasefire," Hopkins said.
Hopkins said the biggest focus for this funding will be crime reduction through prevention, rather than enforcement after a crime has occurred.
"We want to deploy individuals, working with our club owners or DJs specifically at some of those high risk areas or entertainment zones that we know sometimes over the weekend, especially leading up to the summer time, folks want to have a good time. We just want to make sure they do so responsibly and respectfully," Hopkins said.
To that end, concepts like Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) are being explored through initiatives like the city's long-awaited ambassador programming. Training is currently underway to on-board at least six people to support police by working in different hot spots to make residents and visitors feel safe during the summer months.
"Now with those CPTED initiatives resources we do have resources to help offset areas where we see some deficiencies," Hopkins said. "The outcomes are going to weigh heavily on how many people we touch, and how many lives that we're able to change at the same time."
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