By Trevor Metcalfe
The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK, Va. — Police Chief Mark Talbot said the city experienced a significant drop in crime in 2024, especially compared with 2022, when a string of downtown shootings led to a major city crackdown on nightclubs.
Homicides, nonfatal shootings and all crime declined in 2024 compared with 2023, Talbot said during a presentation Tuesday to Norfolk City Council. During that time, homicides decreased 12% from 42 to 37, nonfatal shootings dropped 40% from 123 to 74, according to data shared by police. Homicides were down about 41% compared with 63 killings in 2022.
The successes came despite continuing concerns with recruiting and other challenges, Talbot said.
“It’s the hardest city in the region to police,” Talbot said, who was Hampton’s police chief before coming to Norfolk. “It just is.”
Violent crime — which includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — fell by 18% in 2024. Property crime, which makes up the vast majority of offenses reported in the city, declined by 3% with 8,588 recorded last year.
Talbot said the homicide clearance rate was 85% for 2024. The overall clearance rate for violent crimes was 70%. Property crime clearance rates were lower, including 7.9% for larcenies, 11.5% for stolen vehicles and 9.1% for burglaries.
Talbot’s update about crime rates came a day before two people were killed in a shooting in an Old Dominion University parking lot. None of the people involved were students, according to police. And just a few days prior, two Virginia Beach police officers were shot and killed during a Feb. 21 traffic stop. Violent crime in Virginia Beach also is on a steep decline, down 22% in 2024.
The Norfolk Police Department, which has struggled with losing cops to neighboring cities due to low wages, added just five sworn officers during the past 12 months, increasing the total number to 540, Talbot said.
“It is a big challenge to make sure we’re pushing in a positive direction instead of getting smaller,” Talbot said.
However, Talbot said the department is on track and ahead of schedule on reaching a goal of 600 officers by 2026.
To combat the issue, Norfolk instituted a $5,000 referral bonus program in 2021 — city employees can snag the bonus if they refer an applicant who later passes the police academy. To date, the program has produced 295 applicants and 76 new recruits.
Additionally, Talbot said the department is working with other groups to recruit veterans and aims to also hire federal workers who may be affected by layoffs instituted by President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk.
When asked by City Council member Tommy Smigiel, Talbot credited Flock Safety cameras with bringing down the number of stolen vehicles. Reports of stolen vehicles declined by 40%, from 1,495 in 2023 to 903 in 2024. Police departments across the region have installed hundreds of the automatic license plate reader cameras, which they say have helped assist investigations.
A web of 172 city-operated cameras in Norfolk can ping and detect license plate numbers and other vehicle characteristics as vehicles pass. Other local law enforcement agencies also operate cameras, and they can be used to track a vehicle’s movement across the region or to review where it’s been as the data is stored in a cloud server for 30 days.
Law enforcement use of the cameras attracted criticism from privacy advocates who have raised legal concerns about being routinely tracked by the government.
The General Assembly recently approved a bill adding several regulations to the camera systems, including deleting all data within 21 days unless it is part of an active investigation. It’s unclear whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will sign the measure.
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