Virginia’s 11th-largest jurisdiction, Henrico, near Richmond, will limit the types of calls to which its police are dispatched.

Henrico County police modified its response to specific service calls and how they are dispatched.

“In the past, our patrol officers have routinely been put in positions or responded to calls for service where they have no legal authority. At times, this has prevented our officers from responding to other priority calls in a timely and efficient manner while also leading to a lack of units available to respond to any given call,” said Henrico Police Chief Eric English in a YouTube video.

Call types where you will see changes include:

• Animal calls (all animal calls placed overnight will be handled the next morning)
• Loud parties or noise complaints (only calls that appear to be violating the county’s noise ordinance will be dispatched)
• Medical emergencies (only if police are needed)
• Service calls (calls about people standing in a street median or homeless people who “appear to be OK”).
• Shoplifting (past-occurred crimes or reports with no evidence to support the allegation)
• Abandoned vehicles
• Marijuana use (calls for marijuana use inside someone’s home)
• Juvenile problems (not crime-related, such as calling a police officer to scold a child)
• Panhandling

The changes have come as police departments across the U.S. have struggled to fill vacant police officer positions since 2020. We asked police agencies in our area if they anticipate making similar changes.

“We offer residents an online or telephone option to file a report, which we can refer people to if needed,” said Prince William police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok. The agency patrols Virginia’s second-largest county. He declined to comment on Henrico County’s new policy.

“Rest assured, we do not anticipate changing how we respond to calls anytime soon,” added Fredericksburg Police spokeswoman Sarah Morris. The agency services the independent city of nearly 28,000 people between Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.

In a significant operation targeting illicit drug distribution, the Fredericksburg Police Department’s Special Equipment Tactical Team executed a search warrant on Tuesday, February 13, at 6:30 a.m., at an apartment located in the 600 block of Greenbrier Court, in the Colonial Village at Greenbrier Apartment Homes. The operation resulted in the confiscation of over 800 pressed fentanyl pills, along with approximately 300 grams of marijuana, over $10,000 in cash, and various drug paraphernalia, police said.

The primary suspect, identified as Jaquan Mincy, 24, a resident of Fredericksburg, was apprehended at the scene. Mincy faces charges including possession, manufacture, or distribution of a weapon of terrorism containing fentanyl, and possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. He is currently being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.

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Fredericksburg police found the body of the 22-year-old Darius Appiah, who had been reported missing by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office on January 25.

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Fredericksburg police: "MISSING PERSON: Amber Leigh Holbrook was last seen on 11/26/2023 at approximately 12:15pm at 419 Bunker Hill Street in the City of Fredericksburg. Amber was last seen getting into a red four door sedan, unknown make/model/tag. Amber was last seen pictured wearing a black jacket with a fur hood, black pants, and black new balance sweatshirt."

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Fredericksburg police: "After experiencing two firearms-related homicides within a three-month timespan, the Fredericksburg Police Department increased its enforcement efforts against people in possession of illegal firearms and/or illicit drugs."