Flanked by police chiefs from around Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares touted statistics indicating drops in violent crimes and homicides. They also credited the Ceasefire Virginia program for the declines.
State officials said Thursday that violent crime in Virginia was down 11% so far this year. Murders were down 30%.
Speaking at an event in Roanoke, Youngkin and Miyares said the declines have been even more pronounced in cities that are participating in Ceasefire Virginia.
"Crime is going down in Virginia," Miyares said. "But in our Ceasefire cities it’s going down even quicker and faster and more rapidly."
Ceasefire Virginia is a state, federal and local partnership that's been operating in 13 cities across the Commonwealth, including Roanoke, Lynchburg and Petersburg, for two years now. The program focuses on what officials said were a small number of repeat offenders responsible for a disproportionate percentage of violent crime.
"In general, only 5% of criminal offenders, not 5% of the general population, just 5% of criminal offenders in any given city commit over 50% of that city’s violent crime," Miyares explained. "It’s a small subset of repeat offenders."
Ceasefire Virginia targets those offenders for prosecution through the Virginia Attorney General's office and the U. S. Attorney's office. The program has resulted in 68 convictions with hefty federal prison sentences.
Miyares and Youngkin also praised the multi-faceted approach to crime that includes prevention, intervention and prosecution. They also hinted at legislative efforts in the 2025 General Assembly session that would expand the program to more cities and increase its funding.
"And again to our General Assembly friends," Youngkin said to the legislators in the audience, "here comes the Attorney General and here comes the Governor because we’ve still got more work to do."
In the past, criminal justice advocates have criticized the program for focusing too heavily on prosecution while being lighter on prevention and intervention.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
