NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia's chief prosecutor spoke at Downtown Norfolk's Slover Library touting the progress and results of an initiative called Operation Ceasefire on Wednesday.
Attorney General Jason Miyares (R-Virginia) described it as a proven and effective tool.
Local, state and federal partners work to combat crime in certain localities.
First announced in October 2022, the list of 13 Ceasefire Cities in Virginia includes Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth and Chesapeake.
"From the beginning, it's been a bipartisan effort," said Miyares.
Miyares said the initiative focuses on three key areas; "This collaborative approach of intervention, prevention and prosecution has led to real substantive reductions of crime."
Miyares said violent crime went down by 26 percent in Norfolk, 8 percent in Portsmouth and 11 percent in Chesapeake from 2022 to 2023.
There's also a team of seven prosecutors specifically assigned to take on cases involving known bad actors. "It's overwhelmingly the small, small subset of repeat violent offenders using guns in the commission of crimes," Miyares added.
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"You have to invest in young people as well," said Miyares.
Some of those young people attend programs with Portsmouth-based Big Homies Community Outreach. One of its missions is to discourage violence by offering hope and mentorship.
"Keep the kids that's not actively involved out of it and the kids who aren't actively involved, try to find a way to get them out," said Big Homies' co-founder and director Eugene Swinson.
Operation Ceasefire pours grant money into organizations like Big Homies and Newport News-based nonprofit Ketchmore Kids.
"We pick the kids up from school and we service some of the neighborhoods impacted by gun violence. We were able to get vans and even get this location [recreation center]," said Swinson.
Moreover, efforts under Operation Ceasefire seized more than 10,000 illegal guns off the streets.
Virginia's Speaker of the House Del. Don Scott (D-88th District) said the latest budget reflects their commitment.
"This biennium will have $22 million to fund this program over the next two years, about $11.3 million per year to continue to make sure we get guns out of the hands of folks that shouldn't have them and make sure we do everything we can to keep our citizens safe," said Del. Scott.
13News Now asked Miyares whether there are plans to expand the list of Ceasefire Cities.
The answer, he said, will depend on the state's final budget and what Virginia's General Assembly wants moving forward.
In the meantime, the AG noted their commitment to keep focusing on the 13 currently designated cities.
Besides those mentioned in Hampton Roads, the rest of the Ceasefire Cities are Richmond, Petersburg, Roanoke, Emporia, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Danville and Hopewell.