Allwyn Brown may be a new face behind the police chief badge, but he is a familiar face in Richmond.
The East Bay native has been on the Richmond police force for 31 years and has served as the former chief's right-hand man for nearly a decade.
"I'm not an unknown person," Brown said. "It's more of a re-introduction to somebody new."
Brown said the key behind drastically cutting crime over the past 10 years has been building partnerships with the community. He said the controversial photos of police brass standing together while Black Lives Matters demonstrators falls right in line with the department's approach.
"Just engaged in our community, that's all," Brown said. "I won't be hidden. I'll definitely be accessible to anybody."
Brown is also determined to squash the city's recent uptick in shootings. While the homicide rate is still down from its peak of 47 in 2007, last year the number of killings doubled and so far 2016 is off to a violent start.
The new chief said he has a special enforcement team on streets focused on turning the trend around.
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"We're fully engaged," Brown said. "We're on top of it and we are addressing it head-on."
