DANVILLE, Va. – Efforts to reduce violent crime are paying off in Danville.
On Tuesday, the police department released the results of a special operation focused on the summer months.
We’re told officers seized 25 guns and arrested 142 people on nearly 300 criminal charges. The operation, which ran from July through September, also brought in large amounts of drugs including meth, cocaine, marijuana and heroin through a preventive policing approach.
“We want to deter crime. We want the people who would be out there selling drugs or living a gang-affiliated type of lifestyle, to know that that’s not something the citizens of Danville want. That little bit of fear, sometimes, will change people’s behavior,” said Captain Steve Richardson.
This led to no homicides, which is the first time the city experienced less than two homicides over the summer since 2015.