Amid a drop in overall arrests, Prince William County has seen a slight uptick in violent crimes.
WOODBRIDGE, Va. — The effort to minimize the number of juveniles entering the jail system for minor offenses in Prince William County is showing positive early signs. The number of juvenile arrests dropped from 861 in 2020 to 473 in 2021, according to the 2021 annual police report released last month.
Police Chief Peter Newsham noted one of the reasons for the decline is less restrictive marijuana laws in Virginia. State officials de-criminalized minor possession of marijuana, which made up many of the cases involving juveniles in Prince William County.
Newsham anticipates the trend will likely continue based on new changes implemented within the school system.
The police department and Prince William County Public Schools signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on how to coordinate school resource officers in the future.
“When the kids are involved in minor offenses in schools, we hand that off to the schools to handle so we are not unnecessarily introducing kids into the criminal justice system,” Newsham said.
The agreement, signed in March, says SROs can physically restrain a student if there is a clear and imminent…