DANVILLE, Va. – Virginia Attorney General (AG) Jay Jones visited Danville to highlight the city’s efforts to reduce violent crime and discuss how its approach could serve as a model for other communities across the state.
AG Jones met with city leaders and community partners during a crime reduction roundtable, where officials discussed the partnerships and programs they credit with helping Danville reach historic lows in violent crime and overdoses.
“We want to make sure that we’re spreading that message and going into other communities that may need to find some new solutions,” said AG Jones
The roundtable brought together 15 people involved in the city’s crime prevention efforts, including Danville Mayor Alonso Jones, Vice Mayor James Buckner and Violence Prevention Manager Robert David.
David said the collaboration between different groups has been a key factor in addressing violent crime.
“I think we have a unique situation here in Danville,” David said. “We have various resources coming together in order to fight the violent crime in the city.”
Danville officials say the city saw violent crime reach a 40-year low in 2025, decreasing by 28%. The city also reported a 48% reduction in overdoses during the same year.
David said addressing the root causes behind violence, including poverty, education gaps and a lack of resources, has been central to the city’s strategy.
“Violence prevention follows poverty and lack of education and lack of resources,” David said. “Trying to alleviate those barriers in every area is going to make a huge change.”
Officials said one of the biggest factors behind the progress has been partnerships throughout the community, especially efforts focused on preventing youth violence.
David said businesses, nonprofits and residents all have a role to play.
“This is a city issue,” David said. “Even the guy who owns the local business has an opportunity to reach out, or we can connect with them, and they can provide an apprenticeship.”
For Jones, the biggest takeaway from the discussion was the importance of bringing communities together and sharing what works.
“That’s what we really view as an important piece of our role — bringing communities together, bringing the information together, and then disseminating it to the right places to make sure that we’re having success on a broader level,” AG Jones said.