City crime by 16% with increasing population – the Suffolk News -Herald

The city's crime rate dropped by 16% compared to this time in the previous year, said police chief Danny Buie. This is already an improvement compared to the 11% reducing mayor Michael Duman, who is quoted during his City -state Speech on May 13th. If this downward trend continues, Buie expects that the crime rate will drop by 13% by the end of the year.

“Suffolk is the fastest growing city in Virginia,” he said. “And so that our population increases … and our crime rate is in the opposite direction, it is fantastic.”

Buie attributes this decline to other civil servants who patrol on the streets and use new technologies in the department.

He said the department had 40 vacancies a few years ago, and now there are about 20. As a result, he can bring more civil servants to the street and relocate people in special units such as the neighborhood enforcement team, special investigations unit and detention.

“If we are able to fill these places, we can trace our detective office, our Bureau, [special investigations unit]Our neighborhood enforcement team, our fleeting units, and it brings more people into these units, then they can concentrate more on crime, ”said Buie.

While he believes that nothing can replace “boots on site”, Buie said that the use of new technology in relation to the ability of SPD to react to crime and deter it was “invaluable”.

He expressly mentioned that Herd security raven Audio -shot recognition devices The department set up in the city in 2022.

“If you are a criminal, it is not the time now,” said Buie. “If these officers work out here, they are caught. They are caught and be arrested and are persecuted.”

Buie also attributes the decline in the hard work of everyone in the police department.

“Our task is to protect people and make Suffolk a safer place, and they work on it every day,” he said.

With the “constant communication” between the departments, information can be passed on quickly so that the correct departments can be included.

Buie said SPD “works so well with every player”, including outside of the law enforcement authorities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire Temperine and Explosion and Suffer Suffer.

Another strategy that SPD uses to proactively prevent crime is to be used. Instead of patrolling the officials who are waiting for crimes, they identify problems in the city and direct more resources for them.

Most crimes can be connected, said Buie, and often after non -violent crimes such as theft and vehicle theft, violent crimes. Therefore, SPD focuses on identifying violent criminals and getting weapons off the street.

Most of the requests come from the city center of the city, said Buie, which is geographically identified as south of Route 58. This is most likely because it is a densely populated area, but “no place in the city is immune,” he said.

“We work as hard in the port view as in the city center to try to prevent crime and deter crimes,” he said. “But like any other agency, we will concentrate our resources as you can do best.”

Buie added that the crime rates usually rise in summer because the weather is hotter and people are not at school and no longer seems to commit crime.

SPD recently started a new one Feedback feedback surveyIn the man, leave comments on crimes in the city and answer questions about how safe they feel.

“The only good number when you talk about crime rate is zero,” he said. “So, until we get to zero, our work has to go on. And we will work hard to get there … but if you are not looking for it, I shouldn't do this job. This is the number I have to see. Do not lose any police officers on duty and we get our crime rate to zero.”