HAMPTON — Violent and property crime are down the first six months of this year compared to the start of the last two years, according to Police Chief Jimmie Wideman.
Wideman briefed the City Council on Wednesday on year-to-date crime statistics from 2022-24, showing how crime rates compare from Jan. 1 to July 8 of each year.
So far, there have been 153 violent crimes reported this year, which include murders or nonnegligent manslaughter, rape or sexual assault, robberies, and aggravated assault. This is down 17.3% from the 185 violent crimes committed at this same point last year and also below the 175 violent crimes committed by this point in 2022.
The city has reported 5 cases of murder or nonnegligent manslaughter so far this year — down from 17 in 2023 and 13 in 2022.
However, there was a slight uptick in “forcible rape” (15 this year compared with 14 in 2023) and “forcible sodomy” (six this year compared with four in 2023). Regarding rape and sexual assault, Wideman told the council “none of those instances” involved situations where the suspect and victim did not know each other.
He said most of the violence in the city was not random and that a majority of the violent crimes were among people who knew each other, which increases the chances police are able to make an arrest.
“Once we remove them from the communities, the communities are instantaneously safer because we have bad actors that commit multiple offenses,” Wideman told the council. “So even by the numbers that you see, some of those numbers are attributed to the same suspect.”
City Manager Mary Bunting said the city’s Hopeful Hampton initiative — which aims to reduce gun violence among teens and young adults — is based on the premise that most violent crime in the community is committed by a limited number. By focusing the city’s attention on those people, she said it can reduce crime rates. She said she believes the city has been making progress.
“Many of the people that we’re talking about have deep-rooted issues in their life,” Bunting said. “I mean, these are not people who just decide to be criminals. Many of these people have struggled with trauma, unresolved trauma in their life. And I’m not making excuses for them, because they’re doing bad things, and we need to hold them accountable. But these are difficult, difficult situations, and that’s why (we have) prevention and intervention and enforcement all working together.”
Also down this year are property crimes. The city reported 2,010 so far this year — which include burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft — down from 2,199 in 2023 and 2,095 in 2022. That includes 1,702 larcenies so far, compared to 1,850 in 2023 and 1,770 in 2022. Motor vehicle thefts dropped 42% from 215 in the first six months of last year to 173 this year.
Since taking over as police chief last year, Wideman said he’s made an effort to ensure officers are building and capitalizing on relationships with local businesses and communities so they can help identify criminals and provide tips about situations that require police attention. He said his department has also been dedicating more resources to various areas of the city that are known to have more problems.
Wideman told the Daily Press he attributes the reduction in crime to a better relationship between law enforcement and the city’s residents. He said that police have formed key partnerships with the local faith community, businesses, community organizations, nonprofits, and concerned citizens to help address gun violence in the community.
“I have an amazing staff that is very proactive,” Wideman said. “I stay out of the way and let them take their talents and invest their talents into the work that we do. And they’re very, very invested in the mission.”
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
