PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — Petersburg Mayor W. Howard Myers,city council and city administration released a statement Wednesday to address the city’s recent influx in violent crime.
Tuesday morning, police launched a homicide investigation after two people were found dead inside a car parked outside of the city’s Summit Pointe apartment complex. Those two murders marked the third and fourth murders in the past two weeks and brought the city’s homicide count for this year to 12.
“In the recent weeks, we have been very concerned about the crime in our neighborhoods,” the statement reads. “We are working closely with city departments to address the crime and increasing our efforts to enhance partnerships within the community. Keeping our city safe is our number one priority, and the city will continue to work collaboratively to make an impact against crime.
“Most importantly, the City of Petersburg is a safe place to live and we support the men and women in our Police Department for their hard work, commitment to serve and what they do each day to keep all of us safe. Our men and women in blue are doing an exceptional job, and they cannot do their jobs alone. Addressing community violence is complex and it will take the entire community to protect our neighborhoods, homes and families.”
Since January, over 80 illegal guns have been seized as the police department has conducted over 120 Special Operations city wide to include fugitive service, check points, search warrants and other targeted activities.
But city officials say keeping the community safe is a team effort.
“It will take all of us as a team to fight against crime. We stand firm that this violence is not who we are as a city and we are committed to working toward its eradication. We encourage all of our residents to attend the upcoming Petersburg Police Community cookout in Lieutenant’s Run on Friday, September 25 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., a ward meeting and most importantly, call the Petersburg Police Department to report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood at (804) 732-4222, and 911 in cases of emergencies.”
