Charlottesville Police release 2023 annual report

The Charlottesville Police Department has released its 2023 annual report.

The report includes details on crime rates, complaints against officers, staffing levels and the department’s budget, among other things.

“Despite unprecedented challenges, including thirty sworn positions and a drastic increase in gun violence, we have remained focused on being community partners for safety,” Police Chief Michael Kochis wrote in the report’s introduction. “We started 2023 with a significant increase in (personal crimes), particularly in the area of ​​gun violence. Between January and March there were three homicides and we responded to an average of one shooting call per day.”

The data shows that the number of reported crimes against individuals decreased between 2022 and 2023. However, the number of homicides has increased. There were six last year, up from two in 2022 and zero in 2021.

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