Albemarle Police report: Homicides increases in 2023, but property crime slightly down

Earlier this month, the Albemarle County Police Department published its annual report for 2023. 

“The year 2023 presented challenges in the areas of gun violence, opioid overdoses, and automobile thefts,” writes Colonel Sean Reeves, the Chief of Police. “Despite the complexities associated with investigating these types of incidents, we remain committed to providing professional, ethical, and impartial law enforcement services to enhance the quality of life for all.” 

The report highlights activities from the years and also provides statistics on criminal activity. 

• Albemarle Police participated in the Community Safety Group formed by UVA in the wake of the murder of three UVA football players in November 2022. Preliminary results were issued in February as I reported at the time. 
• Officers were equipped with Narcan to help reverse the effects of opioid overdose and saved eleven lives.
• The Human Services Alternative Response Team began work.
• There were 77,672 total calls for service, down six percent from 2022. Of those, 32,506 came through the Emergency Communication Center and the rest were initiated by officers. 
• The traffic division conducted 85 speed studies and the entire ACPD conducted 9,406 traffic stops. There were 367 crashes in Albemarle County where speed was a factor. 
• The total number of fatal crashes was down from 2022 with a total of nine crashes and a total number of ten individuals killed. That compares to a total of 16 crashes in 2022 and 17 fatalities. 
• The number of homicides doubled from three in 2022 to six in 2023. The total number of crimes against people went up from 98 in 2022 to 117 in 2023.
• The number of property crimes dropped slightly from 1,897 in 2022 to 1,857 in 2023. 

Review the report for much more information. 

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