RICHMOND, Va. -- Richard “Rick” Edwards, Richmond's acting police chief since Gerald Smith's resignation in October 2022, has been named the city's new police chief, officials announced Wednesday.
Edwards, who has nearly 24 years of experience with the Richmond Police, said the department's goal is "continue to make the city a safe place for our residents and visitors."
"I am committed to leading an efficient, well-managed department that is rooted in service to the Richmond community,” Edwards said.
Richmond Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders said Edwards "stood out among all the applicants" following a nationwide search that included "numerous interviews, community surveys, and conversations with partners and stakeholders."
“He brings decades of experience to this role and has a solid reputation throughout the region. We are excited about his leadership and his commitment to further improving our community," Saunders wrote.
Mayor Levar Stoney said he could "think of no one better suited for this role" and called Edwards an "incredible leader."
"His almost 24 years with RPD have prepared him to meet the challenges our community faces,” Stoney said. “Rick understands that public safety is at its best when it involves members of the community and law enforcement."
Officials said Edwards has worked to reestablish trust in the department and the community while implementing new core values, updating policies and initiating the new body-worn camera release policy during his tenure as interim chief.
"His experience ranges from operational and administrative aspects of policing, including patrol operations, criminal investigations, developing strategies for crime reduction and community engagement, and responding to and addressing security threats," officials said.
Edwards said he hoped to become Richmond's top cop permanently after city officials announced they were accepting applications for the position in April.
He wrote in an email to city officials that after "several frank conversations" with his wife that he decided to apply for the job.
At the time Edwards said he hoped to offer "direction and stability for the department" when he stepped into the role after Smith's resignation.
"I wanted to give City Leadership the time it needed to find the right Chief to lead our department into the future," Edwards wrote. "Over the past 5+ months, I have done my level best to stabilize things and put us on the pathway to success. While my time in this role has been challenging, I can tell you all that it has also been very rewarding. I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to lead such fine men and women."
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Smith's exit came after months of public turmoil. The Richmond Coalition of Police (RCOP), a union that represents hundreds of personnel, called for changes to the leadership of the department.
Additionally, some members of Richmond City Council said they had heard complaints from officers about low morale that began during the civil unrest of 2020 and continued under the leadership of former Police Chief Smith.
Smith also faced scrutiny earlier this year regarding the handling of an alleged mass shooting plot that was planned for the Fourth of July.
RCOP President Brendan Leavy congratulated Edwards on "accepting the permanent position" in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
"RCOP looks forward to continuing working with Chief Edwards in making the Richmond Police Department equitable and fair for our officers while developing better community relations," Leavy wrote. "As with any Chief, RCOP will hold him to high standards and work together toward progress."
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These are the ‘biggest concern’ for Richmond police chief: ‘You can’t control it’
Edwards appeared at last week's STOP the Violence Town Hall and offered insights about gun violence and what officers are seeing and recovering.
The chief answered one Richmond resident directly in saying the department has not seen a wave of “ghost guns” produced by 3D printers. However, he cautioned that they have witnessed a concerning number of firearms being altered to function as automatic weapons.
"The biggest concern for me right now, isn't the ghost guns even though they're a problem," Edwards said. "It's something I talk about often and that's what's what's commonly referred to as a 'Glock switch.' So these are auto sears, these are a small device that goes into the back of a normal pistol and turns it into a machine gun. And I can tell you last night, we had a shooting where one of those guns was used."
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Edwards said the modified weapons are dangerous and difficult to control. In fact, he linked those guns to a spike in non-fatal shootings last year.
"If you have a pistol that has a machine gun, you can't control it so it is bouncing everywhere," Edwards explained. "So the person that you're aiming at, you might miss but you may hit five other people accidentally."
The chief said he believes auto sears should be against the law in Virginia.
"I think that's just common sense. Even responsible gun owners know that that's not a reasonable device to put on a pistol to make it fully automatic," he said.
Edwards said children have been the unintended victims because they end up "shot by stray bullets or the ones that have gone through a wall."
"It's awful and shouldn't be going on," Edwards said.
