What is Lynchburg Exile?

In 1997, statistics for the state of Virginia revealed that 70% of all murders and 46% of all robberies were committed with a firearm. To respond to this epidemic of gun violence, the 1999 Virginia General Assembly passed legislation to strengthen the penalties for illegal possession of a firearm. One year later, Lynchburg became one of six localities in the state to receive grant monies from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for the implementation of an Exile program.

Under the Exile program, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Lynchburg Police Department were provided with the means to devote a prosecutor and police investigator to focus on the aggressive investigation and prosecution of Exile crimes. This proactive approach, coupled with an extensive public awareness campaign, has yielded great results for Lynchburg Exile thus far. In a very brief time period, the project has removed a substantial number of criminals from our community and has demonstrated a reduction in the gun “carry rate” associated with criminal activity.

If you have information concerning an Exile crime, or you would like to report illegal possession of a firearm, please call Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900.