New effort launched to reduce violent crime, gang activity in Roanoke

ROANOKE, Va. – Leaders at the federal, state and local levels joined forces Thursday to announce the formation of a new effort to curb violent crime in Roanoke.

Roanoke City police say there are more than 250 gang members with at least 10 of them with national affiliations to major gangs. 

Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, Roanoke Police Department and Roanoke City Public Schools joined U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen as he debuted Roanoke C.A.R.E.

C.A.R.E. is an acronym for:

Coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and partners

Acting together to more effectively investigate, and prosecute crimes to

Reduce the number of shootings, violent crimes, and gang activity in the city of Roanoke, and to

Educate both the school and broader community about the dangers of gun violence and gang life. 

Cullen explained during the announcement that the cooperating agencies will meet regularly to share intelligence on trends, examine crime data, and work to move ongoing criminal investigations more efficiently toward federal prosecution.  

"We are looking forward to this enhanced partnership opportunity and are ready to loosen the ties these dangerous individuals have in the Roanoke Valley," said Roanoke Police Chief Tim Jones. "When the influences of gang life and violence become focused on our children, the community must collectively respond to protect our most vulnerable members."

"This announcement of the Roanoke C.A.R.E. effort is an exciting initiative for law enforcement and a valuable resource to help protect the citizens of Roanoke and hold criminals accountable," said Jesse R. Fong, special agent in charge of the DEA's Washington Field Division. "Combining the unique skills, talents, and capabilities of the participating agencies and resources will enable us to better address the wide variety of significant drug and violent crime threats facing Roanoke-area communities. The DEA is fully committed to helping assist in this critical new initiative with substantial resources and effort."

"We all see the families who are affected somehow by the violence that's erupting in our communities and schools - theft to fuel a drug dependency; children that are exposed to drugs or gangs on the streets, in the schools or in their own homes; or the death of a loved one from an overdose or some other violent crime - these are hard truths for the community," said Neil L. Mathison, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond Division. "Creating this initiative, combining these collective resources, will be a significant factor in addressing violent crime; but law enforcement can't do it alone.  Please work with us, be engaged and report suspicious activity - help us, help you!"

Roanoke C.A.R.E. is part of the Western District of Virginia's Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative to reduce gun and other violent crime in Roanoke and Danville.

The following is the transcript of a robocall from Roanoke City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rita Bishop to those in the school district:

Good Evening. This is Rita Bishop, Superintendent Roanoke City Public Schools. This morning at 10:00, I was part of a press conference involving the United States Attorney, the Mayor, the Chief of Police and other partner agencies; the topic was addressing violence in Roanoke. Because this was heavily covered by the media and because I want all of you to know what is going on in the district, I decided to place this robo call. 

I really appreciate living in Roanoke because Roanoke gets out in front of things and is not reactive but they are rather instead proactive. 

The United States Attorney Thomas Cullen has introduced something called C.A.R.E. which is an awareness program around violence in the community. I want all of you to know that we are doing many things and have done them for a long time in the district. 

First of all, we are a trauma informed school district so students who are experiencing problems at school and in the community have a variety of adults they can talk to and work through these problems. 

Further, we are in the second year of a parent generated pledge which will be going home to all elementary and middle school students in the next day or so. What I am asking you to do is to read that pledge with a renewed vigor and to discuss it with your students and to please sign it.

Violence and gang activities are a nationwide issue and it's really important that we address all of these issues. So I am asking that you become very vigilant about anything that you see or you hear, and please let us know if we can help you in anyway, and let us know how we can protect our students. This will become a major parent initiative. We have to have the help of parents and guardians to keep our kids safe. Also, I will be engaging the faith community in helping us work with our students and ensure that we can meet the School Board's number one priority which is school safety. I appreciate your help and I stand ready to answer any of your questions.