Issues

Community Engagement to Focus on Violence Prevention and Intervention

Creating a safe and thriving Norfolk requires prioritizing community engagement with a focus on violence prevention and intervention. Prosecuting cases and delivering justice to victims is the core function of the job, and will be my top priority. But I know from my own work countering gang violence that prosecutions alone are not enough: making Norfolk safer will require a Commonwealth’s Attorney who proactively engages the community. Reducing violent crime requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.

As Norfolk’s Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will prioritize a Community Violence Intervention strategy to ensure our office partners with community-based organizations that focus on preventing crime – not just prosecuting it after it happens.

As a federal prosecutor, I led initiatives focused on community violence intervention, prevention, and providing at-risk individuals with pathways out of crime. I spearheaded the Eastern District of Virginia’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, working closely with local leaders, stakeholders, and community organizations to reach at-risk individuals early in an effort to prevent them from entering the criminal justice system in the first place. We worked hard to ensure they had access to the resources and opportunities they needed to thrive.

To build a safe and thriving Norfolk, it is critical to gain the respect and trust of the community.

Creating and Strengthening Partnerships in Norfolk

An effective Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office requires strong collaboration with the Mayor, City Council, School Board, Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, the Court, and community based organizations.
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As Norfolk’s Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will strengthen these partnerships to ensure our office has the resources to hire and retain the best attorneys in Virginia and secure funding for Community Violence Intervention programs. I will also work closely with community organizations to ensure we have their support in reaching at-risk individuals before crime occurs.

I have a proven track record of building partnerships. As the head of the U.S. Attorney’s Norfolk Office, I led efforts to enhance collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. I also created and spearheaded the Hampton Roads Opioid Working Group building partnerships with the faith, business, and medical communities, peer recovery groups, educators, and first responders. When tackling anything as complicated as the opioid crisis or violent crime, building and maintaining partnerships is essential.

Depoliticize and Professionalize the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office

The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office must be led by a professional, experienced team dedicated to the fair and respectful treatment of everyone it interacts with – including judges, court personnel, attorneys, defendants, and victims.

To achieve this, I will hire and retain experienced prosecutors with the temperament, focus, compassion, and determination to seek justice and accountability. I am a servant leader who will take responsibility for the prosecutors in that office and provide them with the resources and training to get the job done effectively. I will set a culture of professionalism, teamwork, and excellence. I have a track record of managing a large office of prosecutors at the federal level where prosecutors and staff were fully committed, delivered results, and had the opportunity to grow. Norfolk’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Office deserves the same strong leadership and investment to serve our community effectively.