In cities throughout Virginia, there has been a 34 percent decrease in murders and a 12 percent decrease in violent crimes.
More than 2,000 pounds of illegal narcotics have also been removed from the streets of the Commonwealth including 415 pounds of fentanyl. The removal represents a street value of $2.143 billion.
The statistics for the state are for cities that participated in law enforcement initiatives including Operation Bold Blue Line, Operation Free Virginia and Operation Ceasefire.
Virginia’s governor is now cracking down on organized gangs in the state by establishing a gang and community violence prevention partnership through an executive order signed today.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order will establish an enforcement strategy to confront gang violence, drug trafficking, human trafficking and violence committed with firearms, and to provide support to communities and victims.
The Mexican cartels, organized motorcycle clubs and transnational gangs including MS-13 and the Bloods and Crips contribute to the problem in the Commonwealth.
“We are committed to combatting gang recruitment and ending the rise of gang violence across this great Commonwealth and today we are taking all our efforts to combat gangs and gang violence to a whole new level,” said Gov. Youngkin. “While we’ve made incredible strides in crime reduction through our Operation Bold Blue Line, Operation Free Virginia, and Operation Ceasefire, we are focused on gang activity prevention because it is a significant contributor to criminal activity across the Commonwealth.”
The executive order:
- establishes a centralized repository for gang-related data
- creates a gang intelligence task force
- bolsters anti-gang awareness and youth prevention strategies
- deters criminal gang activity through criminal justice personnel training, enhanced prosecution and investigations.
“This executive order establishes a statewide gang and community violence prevention program and strategy to eradicate gangs, drug trafficking and the violence associated with this criminal activity. This is an all-of-Commonwealth approach to safer communities,” said Secretary Terry Cole.
Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares are making violent crime and the Mexican border a campaign issue ahead of next year’s gubernatorial election in Virginia. Miyares is a top candidate to be the Republican nomination for governor.
Virginia crime statistics mirror nationwide trend
While the task force statistics do show progress in the state, similar strides have been made nationwide.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that violent crime nationwide is significantly down since 2020.
Nationwide, murder and non-negligent manslaughter have decreased 11.6 percent from 2022 to 2023. Rape is also down 9.4 percent.
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Crystal Graham
