Roanoke, a city in the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwest Virginia, has a population of approximately 100,000 residents. The city has experienced a recent increase in gun violence, moving from 13 murders and 231 aggravated assaults in 2019 to 28 murders and 402 aggravated assaults in 2023. To identify ways to improve their ability to respond to this increase in violence, the Roanoke Police Department (RPD) participated in the National Case Closed Project, which included an assessment of the department’s response to fatal and nonfatal shootings.
Within RPD, the Investigative Operations Bureau is responsible for criminal investigations and is divided into the Criminal Investigations Division and the Special Investigations Division. Fatal and nonfatal shootings are investigated by detectives in the Major Crimes Unit (MCU). These detectives are supported at crime scenes by “Shoot Teams,” which are groups comprised of non-MCU detectives. RPD recently acquired a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) unit and trained several evidence technicians to use NIBIN.
RPD experienced significant leadership changes in 2023, including the hiring of a new chief of police. While RPD currently has multiple programs to engage the community such the department’s RESET program, and the employment of community resource officers who make up a community engagement team, RPD’s new leadership is working hard to improve the relationship between RPD and the community.
An RTI-led team comprising criminal investigators, forensic scientists, researchers, attorneys, and victim services experts assessed RPD’s policies and practices related to their response to fatal and nonfatal shootings. The assessment included a review of RPD policies, a review and analysis of fatal and nonfatal shooting case files, and personnel interviews within RPD and among external partners.
The NCCP assessment of RPD’s response to fatal and nonfatal shootings revealed that RPD is engaged in many promising practices but also had areas where changes could be made that would likely allow RPD to better serve crime victims and increase their clearance rates for these crimes. For instance, RPD recently re-instated a formal homicide cold case investigation process and purchased new equipment for processing ballistic evidence. The department is also working toward responding to every nonfatal shooting scene and providing victim services to victims, witnesses, and family members in shooting cases. The assessment team provided recommendations related to policy, training, supervision, staffing and other areas that if implemented should further improve RPD’s response to shootings. The NCCP team will work with RPD to determine which recommendations the agency can address and will support the agency in implementing and evaluating these changes.
*To learn more about Roanoke Police Department's Assessment, please contact caseclosed@rti.org.
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