PUBLIC SAFETY
 SAFETY F.I.R.S.T

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Our Mission:

Our mission is to make the City of Richmond safer through community policing and engagement, to build open and transparent relationships within our diverse and vibrant communities, to reduce and eliminate crime, to problem-solve utilizing a collaborative spirit, and provide the highest standard of responsiveness, professionalism, and protections guaranteed to all that live, work, and visit our great City.

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Safety F.I.R.S.T Initiative.

FOCUS on an INTENTIONAL RESPONSE that is SWIFT and TIMELY

In the first 30 days of office Mosby will implement the Safety F.I.R.S.T Initiative. This initiative stands for Focus on an Intentional Response that is Swift and Timely. Richmond must make intentional, meaningful investments in our social fabric to meet everyone’s basic needs. Instead, we have asked police officers to address every societal issue that results from the tears in the fabric, whether it be mental illness, addiction, homelessness, or poverty. Moreover, we ask these overstressed officers to fill roles they are not trained or equipped for — doubling as social workers, conflict negotiators, and medical responders. Mosby will challenge our Human Services agencies to provide the adequate supports to complement the Safety F.I.R.S.T initiative.  

Mosby understands that Human Services is the heartbeat of the government. The need to invest in our most vulnerable population is more critical now than ever. During the pandemic we saw an all-hands-on deck approach to ensure the safety of our city. Now is the time to continue this approach with crime reduction.

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The Need to Respond

Mosby knows that crime is more than a number. When someone commits a crime, they must be held fully accountable.  We know that this can only happen by creating sustainable and long-term programs that intervene and divert behaviors that typically are seen as systemic crime "drivers." Mosby will do this by unifying City resources and programming building comprehensive strategies that stop crime at its source and provides safety and protection in all neighborhoods.

Mosby understands that the definition of “safety” means different things to different neighborhoods. Some communities want to see increased visibility from police patrols. At the same time, other neighborhoods find more value in proven programs that build trust and cooperation between community members and law enforcement. It's time to tailor law enforcement responses to the needs of each community. 

Mosby supports the current crime reduction strategy created by the Richmond Police Department (RPD). RPD’s current strategy incorporates the Focus Deterrence Model by focusing on firearm related offenses and rooting out the known actors and perpetrators of violent crime...                                                                                                                  

Providing support and resources                                                                                 

Mosby has spent her adult life working on the everyday issues and will continue to do so if elected Mayor – Mosby will invest in comprehensive prevention that addresses the root causes of crime by fortifying and expanding the prevention systems already proven to reduce violence, interrupt gang involvement, and increase family health. 

That work will include pushing for the restoration of programs that keep kids off the streets, (ex: Nextup, The Broken Men Foundation, A Better Day Than Yesterday, RVALeague for Safer Streets) addiction recovery, (ex: McShin, Journey House, Healing Place) mental healthcare, (ex: RBHA, Capstone Counseling) and other resources in low-income areas to give outreach and intervention workers the support they need to help people experiencing mental health and behavioral crises get back on their feet.

That is why Mosby will create an Office of Community Safety in the Mayor's office, which will bring together every part of city government to make our city safer. The Office of Community Safety will seek federal, state, and other funding to devote resources to these community solutions. This community engagement will be structured, ongoing, and normalized.

Mosby will continue to conduct meetings with every division of rank-and-file police officers in the city to hear and integrate the officers' concerns into her community safety plans. The only way we get better is by all of us working together.

When it comes to the issue of violent crime, we must use the tools at our disposal to reduce the harm visited upon victim populations and their neighborhoods. In doing so, they are challenged with balancing the priorities of maintaining credibility and community support, working within a finite set of resources, and addressing the needs of stakeholders with potentially competing priorities. And, despite the critical roles played by other components within the criminal justice system, law enforcement leaders and their agencies are often the focal points of concerns about violent crime. Problem identification and analysis are the first steps in determining prioritized strategies and how resources are deployed.  

An example of what Mosby will do

• As Mayor, Mosby will provide funding to aggressively recruit new officers. 

• Mosby will support RPD in developing a five-year strategic plan that creates a reliable pipeline of diverse recruits to ensure that the RPD maintains its full-strength year after year.

• Mosby will bolster the RPD's Technology by funding a Real Time Crime Center, to advance RPD’s response time and to secure violent crime convictions.

• Mosby understands that the City of Richmond is not an island, and that city safety requires regional strategies. Crime has no borders. Mosby will use her collaborative leadership style to work with her counterparts across the Richmond region and develop strategies for public safety that expand beyond city lines.

• Mosby will require the RPD to use evidence-based training models that support reforms, including transparency, accountability, and de-escalation tactics. Crucially, as a hands-on Mayor, Mosby will follow through and hold department leaders accountable for ensuring all department training is timely, unbiased, and effective with a transparent verification process.

• Mosby will secure funding for community-based emergency response teams, trained professionals to respond to mental and behavioral health crises, and police officers can respond to criminal activities.

• Mosby will acknowledge the civilian review board recommendations and we will adjust accordingly. Mosby wants the people of Richmond to be and feel safe, she​ believes 

       Together We Can Change the Public Safety Narrative!