Norfolk gets first emergency callbox
After monthslong push, it’s placed in Calvert Square
NORFOLK — After residents advocated for blue light police boxes in the city, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority has begun installation.
According to the NRHA, the first emergency callbox was placed in Calvert Square. Users can press a single button, which immediately calls emergency services without needing access to a cellphone.
In June the NRHA approved the pilot project after residents had been asking since the fall of 2022.
Residents had long advocated for the callboxes, speaking for months publicly at City Council and NRHA meetings. Last year advocates told The Virginian-Pilot they wanted city officials and police to consider options — such as callboxes — that do not include more surveillance.
The area has cameras and license-plate readers, but residents said those only help investigations once a crime has been committed.
More than 130 residents of Calvert Square and Young Terrace signed a petition presented to the Norfolk City Council and NRHA regarding the proposal.
Residents said it would allow for those without phones — like children — to call for help during emergencies, and they would allow for residents to contact authorities anonymously.
“It’s been a lengthy battle, but this is a powerful step toward prioritizing community safety and protections from over-policing,” said Zenobia Wilson, a community leader. “I look forward to the NRHA and the city’s future innovations for creating a better quality of life for my community and communities like mine.”
Local organizers from New Virginia Majority — a group that aims to assist communities of color with issues such as housing and criminal justice — helped residents organize and ask for the boxes. The group said the small step of installing the first call tower works toward the goal of reducing over-policing.
“I’m excited for a future of resident-drafted, culturally appropriate solutions to community issues,” said Monét Johnson, lead organizer of the effort.
The NRHA will monitor usage of the callbox for effectiveness and volume of calls. There has never been a call tower installed in a Norfolk neighborhood, and NRHA’s Director of Safety and Security Karen Rose said in a statement that it will be another way for residents to contact emergency services.
“Resident safety and peace of mind are at the heart of all our programs at NRHA,” Rose said. “This is another example of how we are working to provide both.”