RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Neighbors on Richmond’s south side say they are fed up with crime. Not only do they want more officers on patrol- they want a new police station. Dozens of people filled the gym at Lucy Brown Middle School on July 29, all of them concerned about break-ins, burglarized cars and other crime in their neighborhoods.
“My robberies are killing me, said Captain Emmett Williams of the area. “Commercial robberies and individual robberies are what’s ruining the day on the violent crime side. On the property crime side, theft from vehicles is killing me,” Capt. Williams said while acknowledging that major crime remains on a downward trend this year for the city as a whole.
Some feel that the South Side, specifically the area around Jahnke Road and Forrest Hill, has long been overlooked by police.
“Southside has been left out a lot and in this area there’s been a lot of crime,” said Myra Griffin, who is launching an initiative to establish a stronger police presence in the area.
The Jahnke Road- Forrest Hill area belongs to Richmond’s third police precinct. Located on Meadow Street, the precinct spans both sides of the James River, covering nearly 26 square miles and more than 81,000 citizens. Police say the large area and high population pose challenges to staffing and response times.
However, police say it would be difficult to make the new precinct people are requesting a reality. Captain Williams told residents a new police substation could become a possibility in the future.
In the meantime, residents are working to establish strong and successful neighborhood watch programs and look out for one another.
Police are asking citizens in all areas of the city to keep an eye out for robberies and car thefts in progress and keep their homes and cars locked at all times.
