Bryan T. Norwood entered an awkward political environment when he started as Richmond’s police chief just over a year ago. Norwood, the former police chief in Bridgeport, Conn., had been selected by outgoing Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, and he started as chief the day before the election of a new mayor, Dwight C. Jones, who had called for the appointment to be left to the new administration.

Becky Lee, chief program officer at the YWCA of Richmond, recalled her reaction upon learning that entertainer Chris Brown’s punishment for assaulting his girlfriend would be removing trash and graffiti in Richmond. “I was undone,“ she said. “The truth is, I sort of rolled my eyes. It just was hard to see the relevance. There wasn’t any.“

Chris Brown will undergo 52 hours of domestic-violence counseling with Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Richmond as part of his court-imposed punishment for beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna. “Commonwealth Catholic Charities has been working with Brown’s attorney to ensure that the service being provided by the agency meet court and probation officer approval,“ the group’s executive director, Joanne Nattrass, said in a statement yesterday.

Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood confirmed last night that his department will supervise Chris Brown’s community-labor sentence that was imposed yesterday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg. “Judge Schnegg may be assured that we will be diligent in maintaining the proper records of Mr. Brown’s work activities and schedule,“ Norwood said in a written statement.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. strongly defended the Obama administration’s $787 billion economic-stimulus package yesterday, saying it has prevented the country from going into an even deeper recession. “I am absolutely, positively confident that we are on the right track,“ he told an audience of about 140 students, faculty members and invited guests at the Henrico County campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

The Richmond Police Department has tightened its take-home policy for officers’ cars, Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced yesterday. Under the old policy, officers were allowed to drive their vehicles home at night, even if they live far outside the city. The new policy allows exceptions based on operational needs, but it is designed to limit assignments of marked police cars to officers who live in the city and to keep unmarked vehicles within 15 miles of the city limits.

Law-enforcement officials are blaming drugs and the economy for a spike in homicides this year in Richmond. City police have recorded 27 slayings this year, just five shy of the 32 homicides for all of 2008. Last year’s total was the lowest the city had seen in decades. Robberies of individuals and larcenies also are outpacing last year’s numbers, leading to a 6 percent increase in overall major crime this year that follows five consecutive annual decreases in major crime.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones took control of City Hall in January, promising an era of openness in the administration’s dealings with the City Council and reporters. “I’m going to take the muzzle off,“ he said, referring to employees who feared a backlash from Mayor L. Douglas Wilder if they spoke to council members or the news media.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones said yesterday that he’s committed to tightening a policy that allows police officers to drive their vehicles home even if they live well outside the city limits. City Council members blasted the policy as excessive after learning this week that take-home vehicles have been authorized for officers who live as far out as Fredericksburg, Jetersville and Bumpass.

Three Richmond police lieutenants were promoted yesterday. Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood presented new badges and duties to:

• Lt. Scott Booth, who will be a captain and night watch commander. He will leave Sector 312, which tied for Sector of the Year in 2008 for having the largest crime reduction in the city.

The Richmond Police Department spent $11,586 on security for Mayor Dwight C. Jones during President Barack Obama’s inauguration last month. The department sent six officers at various times and three vehicles to Washington, according to its response to a Richmond Times-Dispatch request under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Officials provided no further details, citing security reasons.

The Richmond Police Department says it expects to spend at least 50 percent less on security for Mayor Dwight C. Jones than it did for Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, but officials weren’t saying yesterday how much it will cost.

A red light flashed on a computer screen inside the squad car, signaling a priority call: Robbery outside the Econo Lodge on Midlothian Turnpike. No gun displayed. Suspect in a black puffy jacket. Last seen fleeing toward Carnation Street. It wasn’t necessarily an unusual robbery call, but on Saturday night, a pair of officers from Richmond’s SWAT team hurried toward the scene.

When one of her brothers would have a birthday, Gwendolyn Mayo would call him at 12:01 a.m. to wish him happy birthday. When Nathaniel Mayo’s 53rd birthday came this year on Nov. 1, she waited until after midnight and said out loud that she loved and missed him, even though he wouldn’t be around to celebrate. He and his brother, Willie Mayo, were stabbed and found dead in their South Richmond apartment Oct. 3.