Albemarle police chief addressing gun violence in the community

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Albemarle County Police Chief Colonel Sean Reeves is talking with supervisors and neighbors about gun violence and what’s behind it.

Col. Reeves spoke with the Albemarle Police Citizens Advisory Committee during its meeting Tuesday, March 14. He says for the first time in more than five years he is seeing collaboration between police departments in Charlottesville, Albemarle, and UVA.

“We’re starting to come together on a monthly basis at a Regional Command Staff meeting, where it’s not just the three chiefs, it’s our commanders too that get together,” Col. Reeves said.

The police chief says they share a wide range of information; Crime, traffic, and even community events.

“The three of us can learn from each other, as well as offer resources to help each other out with these endeavors,” Col. Reeves said.

When it comes to gun violence, Col. Reeves emphasized that over-policing is not the answer: “Law enforcement is not designed to be proactive. There are things we can do proactively; We can do extra patrols, however with those extra patrols we want to make sure that our sector officers are meeting with apartment community managers at those neighborhood groups to expect policing in their area” he said. “These are situations that law enforcement cannot arrest their way out of.”

Reeves says the arrests aren’t influencing the young ones involved in the violence.

“They know that they if go into the juvenile system depending on the degree, either the charges will be reduced or they will be deferred or they will be put on house arrest, and they’re right back on the streets still committing,” the police chief said.

Reeves says there needs to be transparency and partnership: “We need those community partners, we need schools, we need faith-based leaders, we need community partners to come in, especially since we’re dealing with juveniles,” he said.

The board also discussed the officer-involved shooting near the Rt. 250 Bypass last month that left the suspect dead. There is nothing new to publicly share, as it is an ongoing investigation with Virginia State Police. Col. Reeves says that the officers involved are going through an extensive process, including mental health evaluations before the can return to normal duties.

RELATED: Police say man who pointed gun at officers in area of Route 250 Bypass is dead

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.

Copyright 2023 WVIR. All rights reserved.