OverallCrimeDownInBuenaVista
Speeding Violations, Though, Up Dramatically
Overall crime is down in Buena Vista this year, Police Chief Wayne Handley reported to City Council last week, although speeding is up.
Criminal arrests in 2025 through May 1 declined by 27 percent over the same period in 2024. The total number of individuals arrested this year is 62, compared to 85 for the first four months of 2024.
Traffic citations, on the other hand, have risen significantly in the first four months of this year. There have been 516 traffic citations issued in Buena Vista thus far this year, the majority of which are for speeding, compared to 154 a year ago. This represents an increase of 335 percent for the first four months of the year.
“While we acknowledge there are still violations for speeding happening in some parts of the city, the BVPD is doing its best to improve the safety of Buena Vista’s roadways,” said Handley. Enforcement has been stepped up along the major corridors entering the city, such as U.S. 60 east and west as well as Paxton House Road alongside Green Hill Cemetery and past Deer Haven Drive. Other roads that may be targeted in the future include 24th Street coming down Mapp’s Hill and past Parry McCluer Middle School.
There has been a 14 percent decline in calls for service to the police department, Handley reported. There have been 2,119 such calls this year, compared to 2,441 a year ago.
The police department continues to work toward the city becoming a certified crime prevention community. Gaining this certification, said Handley, would not only provide “a public declaration of our commitment to a safe and inviting city, it also provides the police department with additional benefits when applying for statewide grants.”
Summer camps for youth are being planned, said Handley. The city’s school resource officers will be holding camps the weeks of June 16 and 23. Information is being sent out to students about signing up for the camps.
The police department, in association with the Buena Vista Police Foundation, is holding the inaugural Reginald “Monk” Fix summer camp the week of July 28. Fix, who died this past Dec. 10, bequeathed a generous donation to the BVPD that’s being used to fund the camp. It will be for children ages 7-12 with connections to the city who may not be able to participate in the schoolbased camps. Information on the camp will be forthcoming.
Handley announced a new initiative to assist vulnerable individuals. “The BVPD is happy to announce that it is partnering with the Community Care Portal Rockbridge as a Community Champion,” said Handley. “This process will allow the BVPD to interact with nonprofit stakeholders who are able to assist Buena Vista’s citizens who are in vulnerable situations and in need of assistance. The Community Care Portal offers availability to a network of service providers primarily from the local ministerial alliance.”
The BVPD believes, said Handley, “that every interaction we can have with our community that is not enforcement-related allows us to increase our social capital and build long-lasting relationships.”
