MANASSAS, Va. — In the height of an election year, the debate intensifies over the increased crime in Prince William County, months after police released new data.
Republican Prince William County Supervisors Yesli Vega and Jeanine Lawson joined Matt Lowery, a defense attorney vying to become the next Commonwealth’s Attorney this November. They gathered outside the courthouse in Manassas to amplify their concerns that since before the pandemic, violent crimes have gone up by 70%
County statistics show the number of violent crimes in 2019 was 772. It jumped to 1,304 in 2022.
“Residents of this county deserve to know that safety is paramount of what your public servants do day in and day out,” Vega said.
Total crime rose in 2022 compared to the previous year, but a police spokesperson said it measured 38.9 crimes per 1,000 residents, which is “still a remarkably low number for a County of our size, in a metropolitan area like the National Capital Region.”
They said while the number of violent crimes has slightly increased from this time last year, it remains “extremely low overall averaging only 2.7 crimes per 1,000 residents and making up only 7.1% of overall crime in 2022.”
While there are several reasons for the increase in crime, Lowery, Vega, and Lawson focused their energy on Prince William Co. Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth.
They said since she took office in 2019, crime began to increase. They accuse her of “soft on crime” policies and lack of prosecution.
“This style of prosecution of comforting our criminals has got to end,” Lawson said.
“Unfortunately, in the last three-and-half years, Ms. Ashworth has charted a course virtually identical to the ultra-liberal prosecutors all around us, and Prince William County residents have paid the price,” Lowery said.
Lowery pointed to recent cases where violent suspects received lesser charges, including Jordan Sickles, who was recently accused of murder.
“Our opponents will say things like, ‘Oh, that's part of a national trend,’” Lower added. “I say no that's part of a wider national trend to stop holding criminals accountable.”
However, in a sit-down interview with WUSA9 after their press conference, Ashworth said there is no correlation between her office and the rise in crimes.
“Blaming the prosecutor is like blaming the fire department because there's too many fires,” she said.
She said in the recent cases mentioned, the charges were appropriate based on the facts and evidence.
Ashworth also touted the accomplishments by her office since she was sworn in including expanding the staff to 41 prosecutors, a violent crimes division, a child advocacy center, and a drug court for adults.
“It's dangerous and reckless for two community leaders and the wannabe Commonwealth’s attorney to stand at the steps of the courthouse to say this office doesn't prosecute crime when they know that it's not true,” Ashworth said. “That sends a message to people that furthers crime. That’s a dangerous message to put out there.”
The number of homicides went from 10 in 2021 to 20 last year. As of this year, the county has seen 15 murder cases, 11 this same time last year. Police said all cases except one active investigation have been cleared with arrests or suspects being identified. In most cases, the incident was not random.
“Considering historical crime, our crime rate has significantly dropped since that time but has risen slightly in the last few years,” Sgt. Jonathan Perok of Prince William County Police told WUSA9. “Crime overall leading into and during the pandemic was relatively low across the region and country. We have since seen crime begin to rise back to pre-pandemic levels.”
Vega and Lawson also accused other board members of failing to approve funding in the last two budget cycles for additional officers. Currently, there are 61 vacancies out of 707 authorized positions.
“Despite over $50 million in new revenue, they did not fund one single additional police officer to patrol Prince William County streets,” Vega said.
In a statement to WUSA9, Chair Ann Wheeler disputed arguments she and other members were unsupportive of local law enforcement. She said there has been overwhelming support that is contrary to “their” narrative.
Wheeler said, “Over the last three and a half years funding for our police department has increased from $113 million to $138 million in FY2024. It is surprising that elected officials who have never voted to support the budget, or tax rates, that increase this funding would decry a need for more police. The insufficient number of police officers they use as a community standard is not supported by our police department, but there have been a large number of vacancies we have had to address. Therefore, we have been holding twice the number of police recruit classes this year (and last year) as we attempt to fill them. In addition, we civilianized 16 police positions in FY2021, adding those officers back onto the street. In January of 2023 we gave the Police Department mid-year raises of 18% to help retain and recruit, which it has.”
Vega and Lawson argued they had a different stance in 2020 when the role of law enforcement was in discussion after George Floyd’s death. Vega says the budget is being considered because it’s an election year.