Online Services | Commonwealth Sites | Help | Governor

top image
 
 

Gangs:  Richmond Gang Reduction and Intervention Program

The Richmond gang Reduction and Intervention Program (GRIP) was originally funded through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the amount of $2.5 million. The program, which is administered through this Office, is a collaborative effort among the City of Richmond, federal, state, and local partners focusing on a target community. The goal of GRIP is to significantly reduce gang activity in targeted neighborhoods. The GRIP program includes over forty programs focusing on the strategic areas of primary and secondary prevention, intervention, suppression, and reentry.  More specifically these strategies target the following populations:

  • Primary Prevention: Targets the entire population in high-crime, high-risk communities. The key component is a One Stop resource center that facilitates effective distribution of health and other support resources for youth and families.
  • Secondary Prevention: Identifies young children, ages 7-14, at high risk of becoming involved in gangs and juvenile delinquency. It involves schools, community-based organizations, and other community partners in providing age-appropriate services.
  • Intervention: Targets active gang members and their close associates ages 10-24. It requires aggressive outreach, ongoing recruitment, and careful planning and coordination of services. The primary goal is to provide youth with positive alternatives to the gang life.
  • Reentry: Targets serious and gang-involved offenders who face multiple challenges to reentering their community. GRIP provides appropriate, individualized services and juvenile justice supervision to ensure a reduction
    in recidivism.
  • Suppression: Gang leaders are targeted for aggressive suppression efforts. Enhanced sentences, federal charges, and vertical prosecution are used to effectively remove the most dangerous gang members from the community.

2009 Class Action Camp

Programs are designed to address the full range of personal, family, and community factors that contribute to high levels of juvenile delinquency and gang activity.  Young people have the capacity to make better choices if they have better choices available to them. Our commitment to public safety is strengthened by administering prevention and intervention programs prior to the use of necessary suppression efforts. 

GRIP programs provide youth on the wrong track with the resources and skills to make positive choices and ultimately build better lives. All ages in the community are provided services through these programs, but many of the programs begin with very young at-risk youth. Available GRIP programs range from health care, after-school care, Class Action Camp, ESL and SSL Classes, job development, community revitalization, and a host of other programs which offer the community, and specifically youth, a positive alternative to gangs. Click here for a listing of programs. 

In the News

GRIP has been selected as one of the three winners for the prestigious 2009 Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement and will receive the award during the First General Assembly at the Annual IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) Conference this October in Denver, CO.

Jointly sponsored by IACP and Motorola, the Webber Seavey Award is presented annually to agencies and departments worldwide in recognition for promoting a standard of excellence that exemplifies law enforcement's contribution and dedication to the quality of life in local communities. This program helps law enforcement agencies worldwide and the communities they serve by redefining the concept of law enforcement and how it is routinely performed. The award is named for Webber S. Seavey, the IACP’s first president.

The program annually honors achievements in one or more of the following goals:

  • Continually improving services to the community;
  • Strengthening police relations and promoting community participation;
  • Effectively using resources;
  • Enhancing communications within and cooperation among agencies;
  • Developing creative and innovative approaches that promote excellence in law enforcement.

The program has been so successful in the Southside of Richmond that it has expanded to the Northside of the City as well.  We hope that GRIP’s continued success will allow it to be used as a model in other parts of the Commonwealth, and across the country, as we work together to combat the growing problem of gangs. Along with Richmond, three other localities were awarded the original grant by OJJDP: Milwaukee, WI, Los Angeles, CA, and North Miami Beach, FL. 

If you are interested in starting a GRIP program in your area, please contact us to request a copy of the How-To Manual and interactive CD.

Southside Target Area

The original target area consists of Richmond Police Department Sectors 212 and 213, an area known as the Broad Rock corridor of the Southside of Richmond. Click here for a link to the map. More specifically, the boundaries include:

Northern Boundary:            Midlothian/Belt Boulevard/McGuire Drive/Cofer Road
Southern Boundary:           Walmsley Boulevard
Western Boundary:          Broad Rock Boulevard/Warwick Road
Eastern Boundary:              Jeff Davis Highway

Northside Target Area

The newest GRIP target area consists of Richmond Police Department Sectors 411 and 412, an area known as North Highland Park and Providence Park. Click here for a link to the map. More specifically, the boundaries include:

Northern Boundary:    E Ladies Mile Road/Pensacola Ave
Southern Boundary:   E Gladstone/Brooklyn Park Blvd/Rady St.
Western Boundary:    Cliff Avenue/Meadowbridge Road
Eastern Boundary:     Train Tracks

GRIP Contact:

Amy Wight Kube, GRIP Director
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-692-0484
Email: richmondgangreduction@oag.state.va.us