I sat down for coffee with Lieutenant Timothy Wyatt this week. Lt. Wyatt is in charge of The Richmond Police Department’s First Precinct – Sector 112. That is no small task considering the breadth, bridges, and neighborhood diversity that comprise Sector 112.

On any given day, Lt. Wyatt can face problems in the middle of the river on Belle Isle, neighborhood incidents as far south as Oak Grove, and night club related problems in the wee hours of the morning in Shockoe Bottom. Add Manchester’s exploding population growth to the mix, and you can see how Lt. Wyatt is stretched thin and needs our help. It is an enormous challenge and responsibility.

Now with all that having been said, I see a no nonsense man in Lt. Wyatt who is up to that challenge, despite the obstacles. He was nice enough to dedicate some time out of his extremely busy schedule to answer some questions. Here are his thoughts.

M: When did you start in your role as Lieutenant at the First Precinct, Sector 112?

LW: I have been the Sector Lieutenant for 112 since April of 2013.

M: What did you do prior to your current role?

LW: Prior to being assigned to 112, I served as the 1st Precinct Executive Officer which manages the administrative operations of the precinct. Prior to my assignment to 1st Precinct in July 2012, I was assigned to our Special Investigations Division-Narcotics as a Sergeant.

M: Where are you from originally?

LW: I was born/raised in Richmond, attended Benedictine High School and earned my B.S. from Virginia Commonwealth University.

M: What are you most proud of in terms of accomplishments for Manchester?

LW: One of the greater successes involved working with the residents of Manchester to combat and ultimately shut down an illegal nightclub on Hull St. It was a long standing problem that I inherited as the incoming Sector Lieutenant and something the residents had been dealing with for too long. Every weekend, there was spillover from the club into the neighboring streets of Manchester bringing violent crime incidents as well as general nuisance behavior. In collaboration with numerous residents and business owners, we were able to conduct successful operations on the club and ultimately close them for good. To date, both locations remain out of business and the nights are much more peaceful for the neighbors.

M: What has been your biggest challenge for Manchester crime and safety?

LW: Currently and going forward, it will be figuring how to police a neighborhood in the midst of a development and population explosion. While the number of residential units, number of people moving into the neighborhood along with their personal property and traffic flow are increasing, my resources are not increasing at the same rate. It is incumbent upon me to figure how to “do more with less”. Some of that can be done by encouraging and fostering neighborhood relationships while also being transparent and open about public safety in the community. But, also recognizing that we need to provide consistent, reliable response to neighborhood problems as they arise.

M: What are your top priorities for Manchester?

LW: As with all of my communities, my primary goal for Manchester is to make it one of the safest neighborhoods in the City. But specifically with Manchester, I think it should be a neighborhood that everyone envies and desires to live in and be a part-primarily because of a low crime rate, but also due to an active and engaged community of residents.

M: What can the residents and business owners of Manchester do to help you?

LW: In general, become more engaged with the Neighborhood Association, the Manchester Alliance. They could organize a “Community Watch” which RPD can assist with. On a more individual effort, lock your cars, remove items out of plain view from vehicles. A majority of our property crime in the neighborhood is preventable by citizens securing their personal possessions.

M: Anything else you would like to share?

LW: I welcome any opportunity to work with the residents of the Manchester neighborhood to make their community safer!

Should you need to contact Lt. Wyatt , you may reach him at:

Lieutenant Timothy Wyatt

Phone: 804.646.0572

timothy.wyatt@richmondgov.com

2501 Q Street

Richmond, VA 23223

www.richmondgov.com/police