RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond’s Police Department (RPD) applauded a decrease in overall violent crime during the 2026 first quarter safety briefing. On Thursday, April 9, Mayor Danny Avula joined Chief of Police Rick Edwards to discuss recent safety initiatives, including results from the Spr ing Forward campaign and first quarter crime stats. Greg Hopkins, director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, also presented information from Spring Forward. From March 27 to April 5, RPD and Virginia State Police conducted traffic enforcement initiatives, while detectives focused investigations on weapons, juvenile violence and pop-ups -- such as Airbnb parties. “Our kids, sometimes they need outlets. If we don't give it to them, if we don’t provide it for them, they will seek ways and do it. Sometimes positively and most times, often we see negative outlets,” Hopkins said. During 10 days of Spring Forward, 15 coordinated activities brought more than 450 youth and young adults together with cooking, crafts, sports and water play. During the campaign, officers made 30 arrests and seized 27 guns. Several of those guns — seized at a block party in Hillside Court on April 4. Two people were arrested there. Meanwhile, on March 29, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old were shot at a so-called  "pop up party" at a short-term rental on Montrose Avenue. “While spring break may be over, this problem isn't over. [We want] to encourage people that if you're dropping your kids off or young adults at a party, they need to know who's going to be chaperoning that party. Otherwise, we're going to continue to see things like this,” Edwards said. Chief Edwards highlighted shoplifting as the "crime-driver of the city of Richmond,” overtaking motor vehicle thefts. “322 of the 578 shoplifting incidents took place at ABC stores. So that's 56% at ABC stores,” Edwards said. Edwards said certain suspects have been repeat offenders and said a change in law has made it more difficult to capture culprits. But it won’t stop his department from trying. “We're going to continue to arrest people,” said Edward. “We're going to bring the best cases forward to the Commonwealth attorney, and we're going to continue to fight against it because it has ancillary effects on our business community.” Edwards also said inspections of vape shops will continue this week. So far, the department has searched a third of nearly 100 shops in the city. ...read more read less