Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Annual Initiative Targets Fugitives, Firearms

The Richmond Police Department’s annual Fugitive and Firearms Initiative resulted in 108 outstanding warrants served on individuals and took 75 illegal guns off the streets of Richmond between May 22 and Aug. 28.

Chief Bryan T. Norwood and representatives from Virginia State Police and Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority Police will discuss and display the results of this summer’s FFI in a 9 a.m. news conference Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Richmond Police Headquarters, 200 W. Grace St.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones commended Richmond Police and its FFI partners for another successful initiative. “Community policing is a key component of our public safety paradigm,” the mayor said. “A focused initiative such as FFI, with its involvement of area law enforcement partners, moves this model to the next level while also removing two primary elements of the criminal equation.”

The law enforcement agencies partnered together again for an annual sweep across the city, with targeted efforts focused in the Church Hill and Highland Park neighborhoods.

“We look forward to FFI each year to ensure the persons wanted for crimes in the city and the weapons they are usually in possession of are both removed from society,” Chief Norwood said. “We also work to see that the fugitives are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to discourage others from engaging in any criminal activity.”

FFI investigations this year also resulted in the seizure of
  • 49.6 grams of crack cocaine,

  • 76 grams of heroin and

  • 522.9 grams of marijuana.