CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – After attending a pair of town hall meetings in the city Monday night, Charlottesville Chief of Police Michael Kochis walked away confident his officers have allies in the community as it continues to battle a gun violence crisis.

“They don’t expect just the police department to do it all on its own, and I think that’s very encouraging,” Kochis told Cville Right Now after the second meeting. “And we knew that. We know that. I mean, this community wants to be involved in solutions.”

Monday was a busy night for Kochis, who heard directly from city residents at the two town hall events, which were staggered just an hour apart.

The first, held at the Boys & Girls Club on Cherry Ave., centered on gun violence and conflict resolution, and was in response to the shots-fired incident at a “Trunk or Treat” event at Tonsler Park on Halloween night. The second was the first of CPD’s seven “Let’s Talk!” events, which all center around the use of public safety technology.

“It’s been a busy night, but a wonderful night,” Kochis said. “Anytime I get the opportunity to come out, speak with members of the community that want to be involved in what we’re doing and asking the tough questions and frank questions, that’s a good thing. It’s a good night.”

Both events were well-attended by community members and leaders, including city government and city schools staff and multiple members of the Charlottesville City School Board.

Kochis said the biggest thing he heard at both events was that the community wants to be involved with what CPD does.

Emotions were high at Kochis’ first stop, where residents and community leaders alike shared their frustrations about what had happened on Halloween. Kochis said in the aftermath of that incident, he talked to a number of people in the community. One of the first calls he received came from Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia CEO Kate Lambert.

“I knew that people were OK physically, but my biggest concern was how people were feeling emotionally,” Lambert told Cville Right Now after the meeting.

Lambert said that when she talked to Kochis the day after the incident, she offered to host a town hall event at the club. Monday’s town hall came together after that. Kochis heard from a number of frustrated residents about what to do next. The issues discussed were often complex, with much of the conversation focused on how to address gun violence among young people. The suspect who was arrested in connection to the shooting was a 15-year-old male.

“I think that’s one thing I really love about this community, is that, man, we can sit there and people can give it to me, and that’s okay, right? It’s not personal and they’re gonna, they wanna let me know how they feel about a specific thing,” Kochis said. “And that’s, as a police chief, that’s what I want.”

As for the next steps, Kochis said he is committed to putting together a plan and working with the community to address many of the complex issues discussed at the town hall. While one attendee during the event questioned why there were no city councilors at the town hall, Kochis said afterward that the council has been very supportive and has “given me anything I need to address things.”

Kochis also committed to helping Wes Bellamy and Nicholas Feggans, the organizers of the “Trunk or Treat” as well as other community events, hold more events in the future.

Kochis previously told Cville Right Now last week his department would consider a heavier presence at events moving forward. Monday, he expressed frustration over the fact that increased presence may be needed.

“Our kids should be able to have these events and not have to have 15 or 20 cops there,” he said during the town hall. “That should not have to be the standard in order to have an event in this community.”

Bellamy said that the Halloween incident will not deter him and Feggans from holding future events. He said Kochis wants to see more community events, and they are open to suggestions from the community on how to keep those events safe moving forward.

“We would love to continue to have community conversation, and I thought this town hall was great,” Bellamy said afterward. “I think it was great for the community to hear from us, and also for us to hear from the community.”

Kochis’ night was far from over after he left the Boys & Girls Club. At his second town hall, he met with more community leaders to discuss how CPD is using, and not using, modern policing technology.

“Folks just want to understand it,” he said. “People didn’t know that our body camera record all the time. People didn’t know that. They need to know, right? Let’s just have these conversations. It’s here, right? The technology and the AI and all this stuff is here. So, let’s have real conversation about it and try to all understand it together.”

The next “Let’s Talk!” event is schedule for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Rose Hill Neighborhood Association/10th & Page combined meeting. Six more events have also been scheduled, with five occurring between Tuesday and next Wednesday, and the final one taking place on Jan. 13.