Is Richmond, Virginia safe in 2026? Citywide RPD numbers, then order for the empty house
People search “is Richmond safe” after a move, after a porch package walks off, or after a tried door on a Tuesday. This page cites citywide Richmond Police Department numbers for 2025 and then talks about occupancy. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates. Home Security Systems Richmond is the local order line at (804) 256-0048. SafeStreets installs. ADT monitors 24/7. This site is not ADT corporate.
Chief Rick Edwards presented the department’s 2025 year-end briefing in January 2026. Major crime dropped 12 percent, from 10,265 reports in 2024 to 9,037 in 2025. Homicides held at 54, tied with 2024 and the lowest since 2018. Residential burglary dropped 26 percent, from 412 to 304. Carjackings dropped 39 percent. Residential robberies dropped 40 percent. Those are citywide mixes. They are not a report card on your Fan side door.
What RPD actually said about 2025
Major crime in the RPD briefing includes murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, arson, burglary, larceny, and auto theft. The 12 percent drop is that mix. Violent crime rose 8 percent, driven largely by a 113 percent jump in reported aggravated domestic assaults that Edwards tied in part to a change in how those crimes are classified, plus a 32 percent rise in commercial robberies. Non-fatal shootings fell to 171, the lowest since 2015.
WRIC, WWBT, and The Richmonder reported the same briefing. Mayor Danny Avula took office January 1, 2025. We cite the year. We do not invent a neighborhood rate for Church Hill, Manchester, or Southside.
Henrico and Chesterfield are not the same briefing
Axios Richmond reported Henrico had three homicides in 2025, the fewest in 60 years, with overall crime down 13 percent. Chesterfield recorded 20 homicides in 2025, nearly double 12 in 2024, even as most other categories fell. Those county numbers still do not describe your Short Pump cul-de-sac or your Midlothian lot. Confirm the ZIP. Order for the hours you are gone.
Porch packages are the reason people add a doorbell
Fan, Church Hill, Carytown, and Oregon Hill porches collect boxes while owners sit downtown or on I-64. A doorbell camera is useful. It is not ADT calling you when a rear door opens. Secure+ at $53.99/mo* still watches the door if you skip video. Complete+ at $74.99/mo* is the video plan. Porch packages is that article.
A quieter street is not 24/7 monitoring. A neighbor on the porch is not an ADT operator. Progress in the citywide mix is real. Occupancy is still the product.
Weekday empties are the product, not a scare line
Downtown jobs, VCU class days, Chippenham shifts, and school drop-off empty houses across the map. Richmond Public Schools empties in-city two-stories. Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover calendars empty Short Pump, Midlothian, and Mechanicsville until pickup. Weekday empty houses is that clock. This page is the crime cite, then the order.
We do not tell you a neighborhood is dangerous. We tell you the house sits dark after drop-off. Arm it. Photograph a leftover keypad. Call the 804 line.
How this sits next to a quote call
Citywide numbers do not change the three packages. Secure+ $53.99*. Smart+ $63.99*. Complete+ $74.99*. $99 install on many plans. 36 months. Homeowners only. The ZIP still decides the false-alarm desk. City of Richmond CryWolf is $10 then $5 a year. Henrico is a data form. Chesterfield is a permit within 30 days. Hanover does not require a residential permit.
Call (804) 256-0048. Tell us the ZIP. Hear the monthly number. SafeStreets installs. ADT monitors 24/7. The briefing is context. The empty house is the order.
What we will not do with crime copy
We will not invent a rate for The Fan, Church Hill, Manchester, or Southside. We will not use a scare headline as an H1. We will not pretend a 12 percent citywide drop means you should leave a side door unlocked. We will not pretend a 54-homicide count means every street is the same. We cite Chief Edwards, the 2025 briefing, and the year. Then we ask about doors, leftover keypads, and cameras.
Richmond homeowners can trust a SafeStreets security system monitored by ADT. If you want the system on the wall before the next empty Tuesday, the path is the 804 call. There is no form.