For those wanting to understand the current environment on campus, be advised that over the last few weeks, there has been a shocking increase in crime and gunshots fired in Charlottesville.
Charlottesville has known its problems in the past, but this is a definite uptick. All college towns have some level of crime, but serious concerns exist here.
Some things I’ve read say it is related to gangs coming into the area, others feel it is due to increased drug trafficking. Other articles talk about the total disarray of the Charlottesville town council and local Police Department which creates opportunity for crime to proliferate.
As a parent, it’s upsetting that UVA has done little (other than sending a few emails to students reminding them of safety procedures).
They have 17,000 students living in the community. By 3rd year, less than 20% of students live on grounds. The areas in which they live are becoming crime scenes.
The sense of urgency to get this crime, gun, and gang violence under control at UVA is missing.
Charlottesville is devolving quickly.
UVA can (and should) do more to influence the local police department. This is now well beyond what campus police can handle. The relative complacency on the part of the university is unacceptable.
CBS19News has an article posted today: “UVA Parents Terrified Over Rise In Shootings Near Grounds”
What do you propose the University should do? The local population is relatively affluent and highly educated, and no doubt is also quite concerned about rising crime.
I don’t think universities have much power over the local police departments.
Welcome to America 2021. Many schools in the same situation, especially urban. Regardless of politics, defunding and not supporting law enforcement has consequences.
My oldest son is at Georgia Tech. Not thrilled about the rise in violent crime the past year. I preached situational awareness for years. Still doesn’t make me feel better.
The OP is spot on with regard to escalating crime/violence in and around Charlottesville. All one has to do is google “shots fired” and one can pull up dozens of new stores about the number of shootings. This is not run of the mill crime with bullets being fired here and there, it’s full on gang warfare. A ring door bell video posted on Reddit by a UVA professor captured gunfire and it was over 50 rounds. Sounds like a war zone. That’s less than a block block from where 1,500 students live. One large apartment has had bullets enter through walls on two different occasions, thankfully not striking a student. Another student was sadly struck by a stray bullet in the most popular student gathering spot on the corner. The University can and should do more. Perhaps start with raising the police officer starting salaries, which rank at the bottom 15% in the pay scale nationally. Then take ownership of the anti-police rhetoric coming from misguided students and professors to abolish the police department. 21st Century Policing has had it full reign in Charlottesville and the statistics, more than double the shots fired so far in 2021, than all of 2020, prove it’s not working. Add all the local community engagement programs residents groups want to help working alongside law enforcement, but the need to fully restore the multi-agency gang/drug task force and SWAT teams is past due.
The University does not determine the pay rate of local government employees, including police officers. If the local voting citizenry have defunded the police, there is little for UVA to do other than increase its own funding for campus security. That won’t help those living or visiting off campus.
Wrong, UVA determines the pay for their Police Department. They have a joint agreement to patrol the area in and around UVA where 70% of the students live.
I’d be curious about else you think is possible. The LEO’s I know either retired or put in their papers to retire this year. They could’ve continued to work. Most were in the better areas but they chose to retire and money had nothing to do with it.
Do you have figures that show how funding has actually changed substantially?
Just because it’s a popular talking point on the “news” doesn’t make it an implemented policy.
Idk…use Google plus it’s still early…lots of data hasn’t been tallied yet for 2020 and 2021.
That said, we’re still safer than a generation ago. Hard to believe with all the media attention but violent crimes are down from a generation ago. My kids find it hard to believe.
Regardless, it’s not just defunding or budget cuts causing the issues. LEO’s have just quit or retired for obvious reasons. Hard to find replacements.
Precisely!
The topic is about UVA and Charlottesville specifically - no reason to muddle up the water…
(Besides, the only link NOT behind a paywall does not state any defunding took place. The WSJ link is there twice for added effect - but according to the synopsis, the tenor appears to be about spending MORE, and the NYT link’s synopsis seems to deal with reporting systems.)
Finally, the Bloomberg link leads to the headline “We Have Not Defunded Anything: Big Cities Boost Police Budgets” - so if this was in any way related to the OP’s topic, crime rates in Charlottesville would have been dropping massively, using your logic.
You’re right. UVA and Charlottesville is different. It’s a special case I’m sure. Good luck.
You asked for examples. I gave them. Budgets have been cut. Whether that means more crime remains to be seen but it definitely hurts morale and recruiting. That’s my point. If you specifically meant Charlottesville then be more specific when you ask.
90% said that the political climate in the city caused them to reduce their normal policing activities — traffic stops, arrests, community policing — for fear of being targeted by community groups.
The mayor since 2017 has been Nikuyah Walker, a far-left progressive who raised some eyebrows and made national headlines last spring when she wrote a poem likening the city she leads to a rapist. The chief of the Charlottesville Police Department since 2018 has been Dr. RaShall Brackney, who came into office promising to change things radically.
Indeed, the police department’s SWAT team was recently disbanded and several officers were fired or resigned. It should be noted that there were allegations of inappropriate behavior and rhetoric by team members caught on video, and some disciplinary actions were likely in order. Still, the handling of the problems seemed to deepen a growing rift between the leadership of the department and the officers who work there.
That rift became abundantly clear in August when a letter was sent to the mayor from the regional chapter of the Police Benevolent Association. The letter reported on an internal survey concerning the department’s confidence in its leadership, and the results were scathing. Among other things, the survey indicated that 82% of the respondents did not believe they would receive a “fair administrative process” if accused of violating policy. Seventy-seven percent did not believe the administration “had the best interests of officers in mind.” Lack of faith in department leadership, unfair discipline, and low morale were the top three concerns cited by the officers taking the survey.
Late last night, a UVA student was inadvertently struck by a bullet fired inside a bar and restaurant on the Corner. Fortunately, the student received prompt medical care and is expected to make a full recovery, and the Charlottesville Police Department has already made an arrest in this case.
The safety of our students is our highest priority, and any harm that comes to a member of this community, especially when they are on or near Grounds, is deeply disturbing. This incident is especially troubling because it comes on the heels of several reports of shots fired in neighborhoods near Grounds.
University leaders and public safety officials are aware of this trend, and we are devoting additional resources to keep members of this community safe. For years, the University Police Department (UPD) has worked cooperatively with their counterparts in Charlottesville to patrol areas of the city near UVA Grounds together. In recent weeks, UPD has increased personnel in those jointly patrolled areas. We have also placed more University Ambassadors in those areas so they can assist students if necessary and help identify potential criminal acts and report them to police more quickly. When criminal acts do occur in areas near Grounds, UVA public safety personnel work closely with their counterparts in the City of Charlottesville to investigate and apprehend those responsible.
Some articles that may shed light on the policing issues in Charlottesville. There’s clearly an ongoing lack of support for and some turmoil within in the police force.
While the funding at CPD has remained somewhat constant, what has not remained constant is the number of sworn officers patrolling. There used to be 125, down to just 89 now and very few in the pipeline at the Academy. Sworn patrol officer positions at CPD have been declassified to other prioritized duties of 21st century policing. For those who want cops off the street, it’s a victory. The statistics indicate that those efforts have been unsuccessful as there have been more shots fired in the first 9 mos of this year, than all of last year. No talking points, just the facts.
What is the process for UVA setting the pay for their Police Department since they are a state school? Are they able to be nimble about it?
I am in Chapel Hill (in many ways a twin city to Charlottesville) and I know it seems like pretty much everything UNC does has to be run through the Board of Governors which is appointed by the state legislature (see Nikole Hannah-Jones).
I’m not sure of the governance structure for UVA but I would be curious to hear more about it and how employee salaries are determined.
In many ways, it’s similar to UNC. Lots of folks lobbying for a comprehensive response to this crisis at a BOV meeting this week. Will take more than just a better pay scale to fill those empty police positions but at least they won’t loose them to peer institutions within the state who already pay more. Signing bonuses are also something other institutions are doing to recruit candidates. It’s a complicated problem brought on by complacency by the University who were understandably focused on the pandemic, and full out dysfunction at the municipality level. Add to that the social upheaval of the past three years (really since 2017 in Charlottesville) and you have a perfect storm. This needs urgent short-term band aids, as well as long-term solutions. Way above my pay grade.