Surrounded by city leaders, Alexandria’s new Police Chief Tarrick McGuire was sworn in on Tuesday (Dec. 10).
McGuire is the third permanent chief of the Alexandria Police Department in three years. The city’s Chief Circuit Court Judge Lisa Kemler swore him in onstage at the amphitheater of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Old Town.
“My commitment to you is that we will be the best police department in this nation,” McGuire said after being sworn in. “And just like the light on top of this building, we will be a beacon of light for public safety to our country.”
The new chief’s “100 Day Action Plan” was also posted on the city’s website after he took the oath. The single-page document lays out a series of community and staff conversations and town halls to get input on “urgent matters that need immediate attention,” as well as the development of a “change management roadmap to better align the agency and establish key priorities.”
In a press conference after the swearing in, McGuire said that he’s working on developing relationships in the city.
“Under my administration, I want you to know that we will geographically align our officers and communities,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to ensure that we have officers working in the communities, in the same community, the same beats, the same sectors every single day, to ensure that they get to know the people that they are serving.”
The audience was made up of McGuire’s family and friends, elected city leaders, department heads and city staff, including Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, Sheriff Sean Casey and Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr.
“I want people to know in our community that we are being transparent, that we are working together to advance public safety for all Alexandrians and for those that live and come and work in our community,” McGuire said.
McGuire officially started work last month in a city experiencing a crime increase. He takes the reins from Assistant Police Chief Raul Pedroso, who was named interim chief after former Chief Don Hayes retired in February.
McGuire is the former assistant chief of police in Arlington, Texas. He joined that department in 2003. Three years later, Alexandria’s own City Manager Jim Parajon started working in Arlington city government.
Parajon said that he witnessed firsthand McGuire’s effectiveness as a communicator.
“In his previous role as assistant chief in Arlington, Texas, he spearheaded the creation of a youth mentoring program that significantly reduced crime rates and garnered national attention from the Department of Justice’s COPS office as a model of 21st century policy,” Parajon said. “I saw him in action doing this with at-risk youth. I can tell you it matters in their lives today.”
Parajon said that he’s looking forward to seeing McGuire in the role “for a few years.”
“This really is a very special moment, a special point in time in Alexandria’s history,” Parajon said, and gave a seated McGuire a hug after speaking.
Mayor Justin Wilson said that APD staff told City Council that they wanted a chief who is an “exceptional communicator” with a record of reducing crime through community-oriented policing.
“I am so excited that the the city manager has found Chief McGuire,” Wilson said, “and I believe we have in Chief McGuire someone who respects the needs of a modern police department and will apply innovative approaches to provide 21st Century Policing to our community.”
Parajon also thanked Pedroso, who acted as interim chief for nine months.
“Chief Pedroso’s empathy, candor and responsiveness exemplify the qualities we seek in senior leadership,” Parajon said. “We are extremely grateful for his incredible work ethic, excellent communication and deep commitment to Alexandria.”
Mayor-elect Alyia Gaskins said that APD needs steady leadership.
“We need somebody who’s going to stay, we need a police department that feels like they have consistent and comprehensive support,” she said. “And so I can’t predict the future, but I can tell you that I’m excited about this moment now and what we have to bring and what we’re going to achieve in the years to come.”
Gaskins said that community-oriented policing isn’t just a buzz-phrase to be thrown around. She said APD has done a good job with community cookouts and walks through neighborhoods.
“I think the next step is for us to double down on our investment,” she said, “To make sure that we are understanding what else our community needs to see, what other resources our police department needs to make it happen, so that we’re not just talking about community policing, but we are living it, we are a reflection of it, and we are accountable for it.”
McGuire said after being sworn in that the city’s core values align with his own.
“If you solicited me to describe one word by how I feel at this moment, that word would be humility,” McGuire said. “I encourage you to look at the city council’s and mayor’s priorities. Some of the things you may see is making a commitment to connecting with our youth, eliminating economic disparities. Another one may be working to retain our employees.”
Married with children, McGuire has a doctorate in public administration from California Baptist University, a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Criswell College, and a degree from Oklahoma State University.
After the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis Police Officer in 2020, McGuire and two other African American Police Leaders spent two days “deeply” reflecting while walking 54 miles from Selma to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Montgomery, Alabama. During the Civil Rights Movements in 1965, hundreds of marchers from Selma to Montgomery were viciously beaten by the police at the bridge.
McGuire said that the journey gave him time to reflect on how to show the goodness within the policing profession.
“I want you to think about that we will together work for any problem and any challenge that this community faces,” McGuire said.
Below is McGuire’s “Action Plan” for his first 100 days.
