~ Community policing lauded for quick clearance rate~ RICHMOND, VA. – During a media briefing today concerning the homicide rate in the city of Richmond, Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following statement: “In September we had eleven (11) homicides in our city – the highest that we’ve seen in a month since 2006. (There were 12 in 2006.) While we are always attentive and concerned about crime, the fact that we haven’t seen double-digit homicides within a single month for quite some time is of great concern. We are tracking at a pace that indicates we will likely see an increase in our overall annual homicide rate by the end of this year. Even as we continue to address these crimes, there are few things that I want to point out. “The increase in homicides that we’ve seen does not appear to be related to any organized gang or drug activity. We see no common thread in the events of the past month. Our overall violent crime activity to date has actually decreased (down 4%),