Public safety leaders and their counterparts from around the region reaffirmed a commitment to mutual aid today (Thursday) at the Alexandria Police Department’s Public Safety Summit.
The three-hour event was held at Virginia Theological Seminary, and attended by Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Sheriff Sean Casey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, City Manager Jim Parajon, Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez, Jr, as well as officials from Alexandria City Public Schools and other city departments. Speakers included Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham, and Stanley Meador, the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Police Chief Tarrick McGuire touted his department’s recently unveiled public safety plan, which is focused around five pillars — geographical policing and accountability, building relationships in the community, evidence-based strategies and enforcement, assessing crime data and using technology to reduce and enforce crime.
“I’ve been doing this job for 23 years, and I’ve learned that public safety is one of the most [important] responsibilities of government,” McGuire said. “But today we know that safety cannot be created by one single agency.”
The summit comes as Alexandria is seeing a decrease in crime.
Penn said that effective public safety initiatives would not be possible without his department’s mutual aid contract with neighboring jurisdiction.
“I’m confident that if I need something and I call Pete [Newsham] or Tarrick [McGuire], they’re going to help me,” Penn said.
Porter told ALXnow that many of the themes in the plan aren’t new, but said McGuire’s approach is reassuring.
“I’m really hopeful about this public safety plan,” Porter said. “I think it’s great to have it in a comprehensive framework and to be rolling it out publicly.”
Alex Sprague, a member of the city’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities, said that they’re worried about too much tech being used in the city.
“I feel like it’s a violation of our rights to privacy,” Sprague said. “We should be careful about violating the civil liberties of residents with too many cameras on the streets.”
