Richmond’s new Police Chief Timothy Simmons aims to restore the city’s reputation as a national leader in community policing by moving away from reactive tactics and back toward “grassroots partnerships.”
At Monday’s Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council meeting, the 17-year RPD veteran said he plans to aggressively fill 22 department vacancies to reach a goal of 55 patrol officers by June, which will allow him to redeploy specialty units and assign dedicated “beat” officers to every neighborhood council. By prioritizing “regular meaningful contact” over technology alone, Chief Simmons says he hopes to rebuild the public trust necessary to address the city’s recent 90-day surge in violent crime.
Restoring community policing
The RPD’s nationally-recognized community policing model declined after City Council budget cuts reduced department resources and impacted staffing. Those cuts forced the department to eliminate specialty units and beat officer assignments. In 2026, the chief plans to bring back this close connection by working directly with neighborhoods. He said, “policing is most effective when it is done with the community, not simply in the community.”
He vowed that “community trust will always take precedent over some tool, some piece of technology, some policing tactic.” He expects officers to do more than just “clock in and clock out,” pushing for “regular meaningful contact with residents and business owners.”
Addressing recent violence
The chief addressed a “troubling increase” in crime that emerged late last year. While 2025 saw record-low homicides, the city endured 50 separate shooting incidents in the final 90 days of the year, a trend Simmons described as “real trauma at the neighborhood level.” To stop this in 2026, the department is redeploying units to target violent offenders in areas like the Iron Triangle and Richmond Annex.
Technology and privacy
Chief Simmons also explained his recent decision to deactivate the Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system after discovering a data vulnerability. Stating that “protecting community trust and safeguarding data are not optional for me and they’re not optional for our department,” he shut the system down until it is secured. While its absence has “handicapped” investigations into carjackings and homicides, Simmons promised that “any technology we use must align with Richmond’s values and legal expectations.”
Building the force
Simmons is already making ground in efforts to fill vacancies. He recently swore in four experienced officers. His goal is bringing back the beat system so that every neighborhood council knows their officer by name.
Chief Simmons invited the community to to his official swearing-in on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. at City Hall.