ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke Police and federal prosecutors joined together Wednesday for the monthly Chief’s Walk at Tinker Creek Apartments.
The goal of the walk was not only to hear concerns directly from neighbors, but also to highlight collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies.
During the event, Chief Scott Booth, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Robert Tracci, officers, and prosecutors went door to door.
Booth said building personal connections with those face-to-face conversations are a major part of the department’s effort to build trust while cracking down on violent crime.
“I think that we have a very, very focused approach now to how we look at crime in our community,” said Booth. “Where crime is occurring, who is committing crime.”
“I think we are seeing with our community, they are coming forward with more information than ever,” Booth added.
According to Roanoke Police data, overall crime citywide is down 24.09% compared with this time last year.
Despite the overall drop in crime, shooting-related homicides have increased slightly. So far this year, five people have been shot and killed in Roanoke, compared with four at this point last year.
Tracci said his office is committed to working alongside local law enforcement to combat violent crime.
“I’m glad to be out here today,” Tracci said.
“Our goal here is to strengthen existing partnerships with the Roanoke Police Department and others to address common threats,” he added. “Those include violent crime, illegal firearms, drugs, gang violence and other threats to the community here.”
For neighbors like Sammy Widener, seeing police officers and community members working together leaves an impact.
“It helps. It really does. It makes a difference,” Widener said.