Roanoke police create new detection unit to address rising gang violence Aggravated assaults related to gun violence have nearly doubled this year Tags: ROANOKE, Va – As crime continues to rise in Roanoke, a new unit in the police department is working to lower violence and bridge the gap in the community. Roughly 80% of gun-related incidents in Roanoke have been connected to gang violence, so the police department underwent a realignment to create a new gang detection unit. “It calls for an unconventional and nontraditional response from our law enforcement which includes building a collaborative effort with our prosecutors with our federal partners with our communities to ensure that together, we’re doing everything we possibly can to combat some of the violence,” Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman said.