Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Richmond Police on Wednesday gave an update on the results of Operation Safe Summer.
Operation Safe Summer, also known as OSS, is a seasonal program intended to “suppress violent crime and increase public safety throughout Richmond,” with the ultimate goal of decreasing juvenile crime rates.
Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards went over the numbers in an Oct. 2 briefing, saying violent crime in the city is down by 18% and the program showed some success.
“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 this year, which was a change from its usual June 1 start date. Officials said the earlier start date was tied to the increase in violence the city was seeing at the time. OSS ended on Sept. 6.
“So, as you all know, April was a very deadly time for our city involving many juveniles,” Edwards said.
Accidental shootings involving juveniles are down, as are accidental shootings in general. But Edwards said juvenile access to guns continues to be a problem.
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.
Edwards says the Richmond Police Department is there to help gun owners prevent incidents involving juveniles by providing a gun safe to anyone who needs one.
