Community discussion hosted by the Roanoke Police Department aims to promote trust and prevent violence

Roanoke, Virginia – Officers with the Roanoke Police Department claim that their two main objectives are to eradicate gun violence and foster community trust. They think that holding community forums will enable them to do both.

Through mealtime gatherings, Southwest Roanoke citizens are interacting with Roanoke Police officers.

“Sit down, engage with our officers, ask us questions,” said Special Victims Unit Sergeant William Drake.

In an effort to make the community safer, law enforcement is attempting to construct bridges.

“We know the citizens are seeing things, they’re hearing things,” explained Drake. “And we want to build that trust to where they know they can come here, and they can tell us what to do. We’re going to address it directly and quickly.”

Locals had inquiries concerning crime, gang violence, and drug use in the region.

According to data, compared to the same period in 2023, gun violence fell by 74% in the first quarter of this year. But the last two weeks have seen at least four shootings in the city, marking a current wave of violence.

“We certainly want our community to know that we take it seriously, that we’re taking even the recent upticks very seriously,” added Drake. “And we’re looking at them, we’re putting investigative efforts into them.”

According to Drake, witnesses exist, and the police want to ensure that they feel secure enough to come forward.

“As we build that community engagement, we build that trust with our community. They start to trust us and say, ‘you know what, we don’t want this anymore in our community; we trust the police,’” said Drake.

Locals like Steven Richards were delighted to interact with the police.

“Because they police the community, and the better relationship we have with our officers, I think the safer we will be and the safer they’ll be because they can get a feel for what’s going on in the community,” said Richards.

These community forums will continue to be held throughout the year by the Police Department in various locations throughout the city.