Departing police chief built Richmond legacy on trust

Police Chief Chris Magnus, pictured last year with now-Deputy Chief Allwyn Brown, has been sued for racial discrimination. (Photo by: Robert Rogers

Editor’s note: This is Part One in a two-part series on the departure of Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus, who leaves after this month to become police chief in Tucson, Arizona. In Part Two tomorrow, staff writer Matt Beagle looks at a recent rise in Richmond homicides and the unfinished agenda facing Richmond’s next top cop.       When Chris…

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Richmond YMCA toy giveaway founded by firefighter

Richmond firefighter Rod Woods started the annual Toy Giveaway 27 years ago, when he was first hired. “I told the Lord I would give back,” Woods said. This was his way of giving back. Woods was seven years old when his own family was in need during the holidays. “Somebody knocked on the front door…

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RPD sting brings in prostitutes off 23rd street

Officer Amit Nath and Officer Gary Lewis of the Richmond Police Department stand in wait near their squad cars in a nearly empty parking lot on the corner of Barrett and 25th Street. It’s around 8 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and the street lights are on, but they’re so dull they barely cast shadows…

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Richmond leaders reflect on Cinco de Mayo beatings in 2002

The Cinco de Mayo celebration on the 23rd Street corridor has become one of Richmond’s grandest events But it wasn’t always that way. Ten years ago, the street and the holiday became synonymous with an incident that would become a turning point in the city’s history, ushering in a new generation of political leaders and…

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