Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards gives crime briefing with results of Operation Safe Summer

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Violent crime in Richmond is down. The Richmond Police Department held a briefing on Wednesday with that update and the latest results from Operation Safe Summer.

Operation Safe Summer, also known as OSS, is a seasonal program that targets juveniles with the goal of quelling violence.

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards broke down the hard data specifically from the period during Operation Safe Summer. He shared during the Oct. 2 briefing that violent crime in the city is down by 18%.

However, as the Chief delved more into the numbers it became apparent that the news was not all positive.

“It’s important to talk about the hard data,” Edwards said. “That’s not to say that the feelings of the community aren’t important, but when I talk about crime, I want to talk about our hard data.”

Operation Safe Summer started in April — as opposed to the usual June 1 start date — and ended on Sept. 6. The early start date is a direct result of the violence the city was seeing at the time.

“So, as you all know, April was a very deadly time for our city involving many juveniles,” Edwards said.

The summer safe program showed some success, as accidental shootings involving juveniles are down along with accidental shootings overall.

“At this time, we’re down to 19, which is still way too many at 5%. Unfortunately, four of those this year were juveniles, seven last year. So, these are people that don’t understand gun safety, that accidentally shoot themselves,” Edwards said.

But Edwards says guns in the hands of juveniles continue to be a problem across the city, and that as of Sept. 30, 2024, 20 juveniles have been involved in non-fatal shootings. That number is a 3% increase from around the same time last year.

“So, it’s frustrating to me, and I want our community to understand that the second amendment is a right. It’s also a responsibility to secure your guns,” Edwards said.

He points to the shooting of a Richmond police officer back on Sept. 19. The officer’s injuries were considered non-life threatening, but the chief highlights how the teen suspect got access to the gun.

“That gun stolen out of an unlocked car, ends up in the hands of a 16-year-old kid that used to shoot a Richmond police officer. That’s a totally preventable crime that that child should not have had access to that weapon,” Edwards said.

Edwards says the Richmond Police Department is there to help gun owners stop instances like that from happening by providing a gun safe to anyone who needs one.

The chief also highlighted property crime including motor vehicle thefts which he said were down 11% so far in 2024, admitting that crimes against property are still a huge challenge.

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