Crime has become an increasing concern in Alexandria, with numerous stores reporting an uptick in shoplifting, increased gun-related incidents and more compared to before the pandemic.
Crime has remained elevated but has not changed much in the past year, according to the Council on Criminal Justice mid-year report. In Alexandria, drug offenses are down significantly (partially reflected by changing laws) and residential burglaries are down from recent years, but motor vehicle theft, aggravated assaults and gun incidents are up significantly.
In response, city officials are considering a comprehensive citywide crime reduction strategy developed by senior members of the City of Alexandria’s public safety team.
The chart below shows the changes in crime from the first half of 2019 through the first half of 2023.
Overall, crime increased about 10% from 2021 to 2022, which is less than neighboring jurisdictions. The following two charts show changes in crime rates regionally since 2018 and in Alexandria since 2004.
Tuesday evening, Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes, Sheriff Sean Casey, Director of Court Services Mike Mackey, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Commonwealth Attorney Bryan Porter, and Deputy City Manager Yon Lambert discussed recent trends in crime, addressed concerns regarding community safety, and presented actionable solutions at the City Council meeting.
“In Alexandria, we are on uncomfortable, but not unprecedented, terrain,” Hayes said.
The Alexandria Police Department is only "6 FTEs short of authorized strength with 22 in field training and 20 in academy," a report presented Tuesday evening showed.
In addition to more police and increased public safety visibility, public safety officials are investing in technology. In the past six months, the six operational license plate readers (12 more are on the way) have helped police complete multiple felony arrests and stolen vehicle recoveries. The technology also has helped locate a missing person, misdemeanor arrests and a firearms seizure.
“License plate readers are a prime example of technology we are able to access in real time and collaborate with other jurisdictions to identify and apprehend bad actors in our communities,” Hayes said.
The City’s plan also includes:
- Using focused deterrence and technology to aggressively reduce crime and gun violence in hot spots
- Prioritizing Commonwealth Attorney assignments to gun offenses, fentanyl, sex offenses and incidents on school property or events
- Continue focusing on interventions that contribute to our low recidivism rates
- Build safe, supportive environments for our youth
- Actively pursue federal, state funding and legislative solutions
- Remain accountable to the community with focus on performance indicators and the delivery of transparent, accessible data
During the pandemic and for some time after, the Police Department struggled to recruit and retain officers. There has been improvement recently, and the police department is expanding its staffing and using new technologies, including license plate readers (which are also being used in Fairfax County).
“We have an experienced senior leadership team partnering across multiple agencies to aggressively reduce serious crime and gun violence in hot spots, support the prosecution and trial of offenders, continue our low recidivism rates, and foster safe, supportive environments for our youth," Hayes said.
