The Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Commonwealth Attorney’s Office were recently awarded large grants to curb a skyrocketing surge in gun-related crime incidents in the city.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services recently awarded APD with a $250,000 grant for gun violence and prevention, and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office with a $497,000 grant to prosecute gun-related crimes.
“(T)he two departments will use those funds to collaborate on targeted initiatives to more effectively support impacted areas of the community and prosecute firearm-related crime,” APD said in a news release.
The city’s gun-related crime incidents jumped 100% in 2022, and APD said that the city is committed to reversing the trend.
Much of that crime occurred on Beat 34 in the Edsall Road corridor, and APD said that it will contract with a program coordinator to help prevent “localized cycles of violence.”
According to APD:
APD will contract a Program Coordinator to provide strategic leadership for an interagency Work Group and serve as a liaison to the community focused on the department’s Beat 34, comprising an area of southwest Alexandria focused around the Edsall Road corridor which has seen a marked increase in crime from 2022 to 2023. In that time frame, Part I (violent and property) crime increased by 67% in Beat 34, while Part II crime (crimes against society and lesser property crimes) increased by 179%, far outpacing the rest of the city.
Installing a coordinator for the Beat 34 Work Group will also strengthen the ongoing collaboration between APD, the Sheriff’s Office, the City Manager’s Office, the Department of Community and Human Services, Code Administration, the Office of Housing, and Alexandria Public Schools. With all parties unified, resources can be strategically deployed to where they are most needed in the city to reduce gun violence. Through the establishment of sustainable processes, the new Program Coordinator will also set up the Beat 34 Work Group to continue to smoothly operate on its own, effectively supporting that section of Alexandria.
The funding was made available through DCJS’s Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program supporting Operation Bold Blue Line. The funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2025, according to APD.
According to APD:
APD, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and additional partners around the city are focused on putting this new funding toward tackling this public safety threat from all angles: prevention on the front end, and then collaboratively prosecuting to ensure that criminals are held accountable.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) announced a new crash tracker that lets Alexandrians and residents of other nearby localities track and report dangerous situations.
A release from WABA said the new tracker lets residents of Northern Virginia, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and Washington D.C. report:
- Near-miss incidents
- Traffic crashes
- Cars parked in bike lanes
- Dangerous street locations
The tracker also lets reporters say when the incident happened, who was at fault (bicyclist, scooters, drivers, etc.), and who was affected. A map link at the bottom lets the person filing the report pinpoint exactly where it happened.
The release said the tool also lets people filing a report send it directly to local elected officials and the local department of transportation for wherever the incident took place.
“Our tool will not only allow us to monitor where traffic crashes are taking place in the region but it will also serve as an advocacy tool to tell our local governments that there are traffic incidents taking place in our communities,” Jeremiah Lowery, advocacy director for WABA, said in the release.
Alexandria achieved zero traffic fatalities in 2023, a major milestone, but there were still hundreds of crashes around the city.
The Alexandria Vision Zero website said there were 862 total crashes in 2023. Of those, 228 resulted in non-severe injuries while 14 resulted in severe injuries.
Many of those crashes were in Old Town and along major roads, like Duke Street, King Street and Glebe Road. According to the city’s website, 70% of all fatal or severe crashes from 2016-2020 in Alexandria occurred on 10% of the city’s street network.
The Alexandria Police Department urged drivers to slow down after saying a driver was issued a ticket earlier this week for going 112 miles per hour in a 55 mph speed zone.
Police said an Alexandria Police Department officer was on his way to work on Wednesday when he issued a citation for the driver going over twice the legal limit at Van Dorn Street and I-495.
The charge was listed as reckless driving for speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour.
Doing 112 in a 55 mph speed limit? Are you serious? True story. Yesterday on his way to work, an APD officer issued this citation to someone at 495 and Van Dorn going TWO times the speed limit. Slow down. There is no need to put your life or someone else's in danger. pic.twitter.com/is5eMLQDcc
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 7, 2024
The Vision Zero goal of zero roadway deaths and severe injuries is daunting, but the City announced that it closed 2023 with zero traffic fatalities.
In a release, the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES) noted that one year with zero fatalities does not a trend make or mean that the city should roll out the Mission Accomplished banner.
“For the first time since the City of Alexandria’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating roadway deaths and severe injuries was adopted in 2017, the City has ended the year with zero fatalities,” T&ES said in the release. “While this does not necessarily indicate a trend or suggest that the City’s goal has been accomplished, it is a major milestone that demonstrates Vision Zero is achievable.”
T&ES said there were still “over a dozen severe injury crashes” last year.
According to the release:
The people affected by these crashes are parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, and these crashes can bring lifelong pain, disability, and trauma. Some victims of severe crashes may also succumb to their injuries later on. In at least one case in 2023, a crash victim is still fighting for their life in an intensive care unit. Roadway safety improvements can help prevent these kinds of tragedies.
Twenty three Alexandria middle schoolers and eight Alexandria City High School students were arrested in the first two quarters of this school year, according to a report that the School Board will receive Thursday.
There were also 213 incidents requiring a police response, including five weapons-related incidents, 43 students needing EMS assistance, 56 fights/assaults and three reports of sexual assault.
Weapons seized include three stun guns/tasers, a pellet gun and a knife.
There were 17 students arrested in the first two quarters of the 2022-2023 school year (last year), and 41 arrested in the final two quarters, totaling 58 arrests and resulting in a 26% increase in students arrested over the previous school year.
Of those arrested so far this year, 20 of them were Black students, making up 55%.
There were 95 incidents reported at the Alexandria City High School campuses, 70 incidents at the city’s two middle schools (Francis C Hammond and George Washington Middle Schools), 35 incidents at elementary schools and 13 incidents at K-8 schools.
There were also 118 police calls for service — 56 at the high school campuses, 46 at the middle schools, four at K-8 schools and 12 at elementary schools.
Incidents in the first semester of this school year include:
- 57 incidents characterized as “other” (including two students discussing weapons, four cases of disorderly conduct, two reports of public intoxication, one fraudulent 911 call)
- 56 fights/assaults
- 43 injuries that required medical assistance
- Five confiscated weapons
- Nine controlled substances
- Nine threats (verbal/cyber/social media)
- Six missing student reports
- Four reports of suspicious activity
- Three alarms pulled
- Three reports of sexual misconduct
- Six thefts
- Seven reports of possessing prohibited materials
Alexandria experienced a nearly 30% increase in Part 1 crime in 2023, and Mayor Justin Wilson says new initiatives will help stem the flow.
Part 1 crimes, or crimes against people, include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. There were 4,410 total Part I incidents in 2023, an increase of 31% over the 3,361 incidents reported in 2022, according to the Alexandria Police Department Crime Dashboard.
Aggravated assaults are up 50%, with 258 incidents reported in 2023. Aggravated assaults jumped nearly 30%, robberies are up 31%, larcenies are up 30% and auto thefts rose 53%.
In his monthly newsletter, Wilson said that the increase in violent crime, in particular, is unacceptable.
“While the year ended with positive trendlines in several areas, the overall increase for 2023, and particularly the increase in violent crime, is unacceptable,” Wilson wrote. “Protecting the safety of our community is the most important obligation of local government. If our residents are not safe, nothing else matters.”
Last year, APD put mobile camera units in high crime areas after a number of shooting incidents in the city’s Braddock neighborhood. APD also told city council that it would combat the crime surge by increasing foot patrols.
Wilson’s comments follow the recent announcement that Police Chief Don Hayes is retiring this month and that the city will be conducting a search for his replacement.
Not all the Part 1 numbers increased, as there were four homicides in 2023, versus six homicides in 2022, and four rape incidents in 2023, down from eight rape incidents in 2022.
According to Wilson:
The underlying causes of the increases in violence (not just in Alexandria, but around the region and our nation) are so varied, that there is no single answer to this issue. However, the City is approaching this uptick in violence using multiple approaches:
- Restoring Police Staffing/Reducing Attrition
- Expanding “upstream” investments (family supports, mental/behavioral health, housing, re-entry programs, etc) proven to reduce violence
- Expanding community policing
- Continue advocacy for new laws in Washington and Richmond to slow the flow of dangerous firearms into our community
In recent budget decisions, we have included new funding for investigatory capacity focused on those responsible for homicides, felony sex offenses and crimes driven by weapons. We have continued to see mental health and behavioral health incidents driving emergency response. The City’s ACORP program, a co-response program pairing a sworn police officer with a mental health practitioner, has seen considerable success. The City Council chose to build on the success of this effort by expanding ACORP by adding two new ACORP pairs, for a total of 3.
The City has hired two of the largest classes of new police officers entering the Academy. As those officers conclude their training, we will make large progress on some of the staffing challenges the Police Department has experienced for the past few years.
Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes is stepping down to take a new federal job, the city announced today. His last day is Feb. 9, and Assistant Chief Raul Pedroso will be interim police chief until a replacement is hired in a national search.
Hayes has been police chief since 2022, before which he was acting chief for a year after the departure of former Chief Michael Brown. He started his career with the Alexandria Police Department in 1981.
“It’s been an honor to dedicate my life to this community,” Hayes said. “I truly believe there is no greater calling than to serve on behalf of the people. Doing so alongside the men and women of this department for the past four decades has been my greatest accomplishment.”
Hayes’ new position has not been publicly announced. City Manager Jim Parajon called him a “capable” leader and “committed public servant.”
“He built upon years of experience to lead APD through some challenging times including ever-increasing demand for services,” Parajon said. “We wish him well in his next endeavor.”
Hayes restructured the department to resemble how it looked before his predecessor Chief Brown took over, by hiring three assistant chiefs and replacing a civilian assistant chief. The city also experienced a crime surge under his watch, and the department suffered diversity and morale issues.
According to the city:
Hayes joined the Alexandria Police Department in March 1981, and achieved the rank of sergeant in 1996, overseeing the community-oriented policing and internal investigations sections. In 1999, Hayes was promoted to lieutenant and led the special operations, information services, and public services divisions. He was promoted to captain in 2013 and served as patrol commander, in addition to heading the parking enforcement, traffic, special events, and community relations divisions. He was promoted to assistant chief in 2019 and has since used his diverse experience to oversee all parts of the Police Department. In December 2021, he was named acting Chief, and made Chief in April 2022.
Alexandria doesn’t have the resources to adequately cover the public safety aspect of the proposed Potomac Yard arena and entertainment district, sources in the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff’s Office told ALXnow.
The city currently does not have the resources to cover the addition of the arena and entertainment district at Potomac Yard. The Alexandria Police Department has just over 300 officers, the Sheriff’s Office has around 165 deputies and the Fire Department has about 300 fire and rescue personnel.
The city is developing a “public safety and event services plan” to support large events while maintaining service for the rest of the city.
“The project team, which includes multiple city agencies, is developing a public safety and event services plan for the proposed entertainment district that will include deployment of City and regional resources to support the public during events in this area while maintaining full services for the rest of the City,” Ebony Fleming, the city’s director of communications, told ALXnow.
Last year, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, hired an additional 20% of off-duty D.C. police officers to handle security at games and events.
In the meantime, the Alexandria Fire Department is undergoing a restructuring, or redeployment, of resources. In 2022, more than 70% of AFD incidents were medical and rescue-related and just 15% were fire alarm and fire-related. Fleming says that the AFD Forward plan, which would redeploy resources around the city, will not be impacted by the arena.
“The arena will not impact AFD Forward,” Fleming said. “The Entertainment District project will include a fire and emergency medical services event services plan that will be developed to support the public in this area while maintaining full services for the rest of the City.”
Fleming did not provide a deadline for completion of the public safety and event services plan.
Fleming said that the police department is leading the law enforcement planning and that the Sheriff’s Office is “willing to support APD should they identify specific needs where Sheriff’s Deputies can enhance the public’s safety.” She also said that Sheriff Sean Casey is “confident a thorough needs assessment will be requested and conducted as part of the overall process.”
Four intersections along N. Saint Asaph Street, near the Trader Joes and Harris Teeter, could have new ‘no turn on red restrictions’.
A report (page 12) to the Traffic and Parking Board — ahead of a meeting tonight (Monday) — said the intersections along N. Saint Asaph Street can be a dangerous combination of pedestrian traffic around the grocery stores coming into conflict with traffic spilling off Washington Street.
According to the report:
North Saint Asaph Street between Pendleton and Montgomery Streets is a mix of residential and commercial uses, including two grocery stores, a hotel, and a few restaurants. There is often heavy foot and cyclist traffic around the Trader Joes and Harris Teeter grocery stores along this corridor. As North Saint Asaph Street is one block off of Washington Street, it is also used as an alternative route when traffic backs up, leading to an increased potential for pedestrian and vehicle conflict points.
The report said between 2016 and 2022 there were four crashes involving pedestrians. Three of the four involved a pedestrian experiencing visible injury due to a car collision, according to the report.
The new ‘no turn on red’ restrictions would affect turning onto N. Saint Asaph Street from:
- Pendleton Street
- Wythe Street
- Madison Street
- Montgomery Street
Turns would also be restricted onto those streets from N. Saint Asaph Street.
Of the public comments submitted on the proposed change, the majority were from neighbors in support of adding the ‘no turn on red’ restrictions.
Image via Google Maps
A report on Alexandria’s Complete Streets program highlighted work done over the last year and a peek ahead at new bike lanes, sidewalks, trail improvements and more.
The Complete Streets presentation (starting with slide 36) is headed to the Transportation Commission on Wednesday, Oct. 18, alongside a report on the city’s Vision Zero project and Safe Routes to Schools.
The look at what’s ahead included numerous trail and intersection improvements being worked on over the next year.
Among the projects on the docket for FY 2024 is the Old Cameron Run Trail: a planned shared-use path to connect the southern part of the Carlyle neighborhood to southern Old Town.
“This project will help address a major gap in the City’s trail system and provide a key link in the bicycle and pedestrian transportation system,” the project website said. “The goal of this project is to create a more direct and conflict-free connection for people walking and biking between the Eisenhower East and Southwest Quadrant neighborhoods.”
Design for the trail has been ongoing since 2020 and is scheduled to continue into 2025, with construction starting in spring 2025 and lasting until summer 2028.
The look-ahead also includes Mount Vernon Trail improvements at East Abingdon Drive, which could include replacing one lane of the street with bike lanes. The work plan for the upcoming year also included overall Mount Vernon Trail access improvements.
The King/Callahan/Russell Intersection Improvements also made an appearance. The project aims to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety at the intersection near the George Washington Masonic Memorial. The project started last month.
More safety improvements are planned along King Street, with a new sidewalk and bike lanes considered near the Bradlee Shopping Center.
The report also provided a look back at work done in FY 2023, including:
- 300+ linear feet of new sidewalk
- 90+ new or upgraded crosswalks
- 33+ intersections with added safety treatments
- 100+ bike racks installed citywide
- 1,800 linear feet of new or improved bike lanes
The report noted that some of that work included filling in missing sidewalk connections near George Washington Middle School and near NOVA Community College. The report said this year also saw the debut of the city’s “first contraflow bike lane” — a bike lane that runs counter to the flow of traffic.