Delegate, senator want to see 'proven' anti-violence initiative come to Hopewell
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HOPEWELL — Del. Carrie Coyner summed up the reason why she and state Sen. Joe Morrissey are teaming up to bring the crime-fighting Group Violence Intervention initiative to Hopewell.
"Our community is very scared," Coyner, R-Chesterfield, told reporters Thursday inside the former Guncotton Coffee Shop in downtown Hopewell. Coyner, whose House district includes southeast Chesterfield, Hopewell and Prince George County, said that fear was quite apparent last weekend at Hopewell's Christmas parade.
"I looked around and thought there were a lot less kids in the parade," she said. "And as you're walking in the parade route, there were a lot less families than we've seen even during COVID. We had the parade during COVID."
Coyner said she asked several attendees why they thought the turnout was light. "And they said, 'Well you know there's just been a lot more violence even during daylight hours," she added.
Recent statistics from the Hopewell Police Department bear that out. Since the start of 2022, there have been 121 violent crimes — eight homicides, eight rapes, 29 armed robberies and 76 assaults. Additionally, there have been 436 property crimes reported, including 333 larcenies and 43 stolen vehicles.
There also has been in excess of 125 reports of residents hearing gunshots across town this year, with nearly a quarter of them involving someone being injured. Police attribute many of the shots-fired calls to gang activity.
More:Hopewell residents want better communication from police, more aggressive prosecution
The Group Violence Intervention project, or GVI, focuses on deterring crime rather than enforcement. According to its website, GVI "fosters stronger relationships between law enforcement and the people they serve." Its core mission is to enmesh community, law enforcement and Social Service providers into a three-pronged approach to reduce street crimes. Launched in Boston two decades ago as "Operation Cease Fire," GVI has spread to other major U.S. cities and has shown proven results in crime reduction.
Morrissey, whose Senate district includes Hopewell and Petersburg, said GVI works because "it uses law enforcement strategically and narrowly," and it works for both "victims and the victimizers."
"That's a little bit different than the shotgun approach where let's come in with the troops and that's what's going to stop the violence," Morrissey said.
While remnants of it have been used in other Virginia cities, Coyner said Hopewell would be the first Virginia municipality to be all-in on GVI. The key word, she added, was "all-in," with everyone, including local elected leaders and citizens, committed to it.
Coyner said she has spoken with police administration, the Hopewell commonwealth's attorney and the city sheriff, and all have vowed their support. Morrissey said "most of City Council" has also signed on, "but we need all of City Council."
Council will have three new members when it is seated next month. Both Coyner and Morrissey said they have spoken to the new members, and they all are on board.
No price tag was put on implementing CVI in Hopewell, but Coyner said much of the financial resources needed are already in place. She and Morrissey will lobby their colleagues on the House and Senate budget-writing committees next session to ensure funding is there, and if not, they will ask for budget amendments to get any needed extra money.
"Whatever it takes," Morrissey said, "and if it turns out that we need to go deeper, that's the reason why we have amendments to the budget, and we will go deeper. But this uptick in crime in Hopewell is going to stop, and we're going to use a tool that has proven efficacy, and we are committed as a team to getting it done."
Coyner said recent studies of CVI in other cities have shown a recognizable decrease in criminal activity with the first 1-2 years after implementation.
The lawmakers said they would also like to see a drug court created in Hopewell.
More:Prince George residence shot up Wednesday morning; suspect faces 14 charges
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Lawmakers want to bring 'proven' violence-reducing project to Hopewell
