(The Center Square) – As homicides and violent crimes increase in major cities throughout the country, the two most populous cities in Virginia have also been subject to this trend, according to a report published by WalletHub.
Both Virginia Beach and Chesapeake saw an increase in second quarter per-capita homicides in 2022 when compared to the second quarter homicide rates in 2021 and 2020.
Chesapeake recorded 2.88 homicides per 100,000 people during the quarter, which is an increase of 1.65 when compared to 2021 and an increase of 0.82 when compared to 2020. In Virginia Beach, the city recorded 1.55 homicides per 100,000 people, which is an increase of 0.89 when compared to 2021 and an increase of 1.55 when compared to 2020.
Although the homicide rates in both cities fall outside the top 25, their homicide rates are increasing faster than other large cities. The report ranked 50 of the country’s largest cities and found that Chesapeake had the third highest increase from its 2021 second quarter and the 17th largest increase from the 2020 second quarter. Virginia Beach had the 10th largest increase from its 2021 second quarter and the eighth largest increase from its 2020 second quarter.
“While there are likely multiple reasons why we have seen a spike in homicides in the United States, the criminal justice system has not done much to help alleviate the problem,” Tristin Kilgallon, an associate professor of pre-law and history at The University of Findlay, said in a statement.
“The recent ‘defund the police’ movement and hyper-criticism of the police have led many officers to take a ‘hands-off’ approach to policing,” Kilgallon added. “Officers are aware that any miscalculation on their part may lead to life-altering consequences for them and their families. Further, many political leaders are outright antagonistic towards the police, which lowers morale, and impacts the efficacy of police efforts.”
Norfolk, which has a higher homicide rate than the other two cities, actually saw a decrease in homicides in the second quarter when compared to its 2021 second quarter. In Norfolk, there were 4.91 homicides per 100,000 people, but that was 1.64 per-capita homicides lower than the previous year. Yet, it was still 0.41 per-capita homicides higher than 2020.
Criminal justice reform and support for police was a major point of contention during the attorney general race and the gubernatorial race last year. Democrats touted their efforts to reform the criminal justice system, while Republicans promised a tough-on-crime approach. In the end, Republicans won all three statewide races and took control over the House of Delegates.
