Mayor Alyia Gaskins told city leaders on Tuesday that she does not “see a role for Flock” cameras in Alexandria.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, two City Council members joined Gaskins in the sentiment after a presentation by Police Chief Tarrick McGuire on license plate reader (LPR) technology used in the city. The Alexandria Police Department has 61 license plate readers and other cameras along public roadways, according to Flock’s transparency portal.
Alexandria City Public Schools welcomed students back for the first day of school today (Monday) as the district implemented a stricter student cell phone policy and new school boundaries.
More than 15,000 students started school at ACPS, from the incoming kindergarten class who will graduate in 2039, to the seniors graduating next year. Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor, Mayor Alyia Gaskins, School Board Chair Christopher Harris, Alexandria City High School Principal Michael Burch and Police Chief Tarrick McGuire visited classrooms at ACHS’s King Street Campus on the first day.
The Alexandria Police Department is asking dog walkers to join a citywide watch program where walkers keep an eye out for crimes and to call 911 if they see a situation needing an emergency response.
APD is launching the Dog Walker Watch program as the city is experiencing a summer uptick in violent crime. APD says that the dog walkers will help strengthen public safety and “serve as extra eyes and ears while walking their dogs, reporting suspicious activity through 911, 703-746-4444, or 311, as appropriate,” according to an email registry with the city.
National Night Out, an annual program that promotes community and law enforcement partnerships to combat crime, will get record participation from Alexandria this year.
The city will have 54 participating sites on Tuesday, Aug. 4, which is also the date of Democratic and Republican primary elections.
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire honored his 15 predecessors this week with the unveiling of a wall of their portraits.
In the city’s history, there have only ever been 16 police chiefs, and McGuire said the wall recognizes the men who sat in his seat.
Alexandria’s uptick in violent crimes this summer has caught the attention of the police chief.
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said the city has seen a significant spike in felonious assaults, including a stabbing on July 22 in the city’s West End and an unrelated stabbing near the Braddock Road Metro Station on July 21. A man was also arrested after allegedly brandishing a knife and assaulting a man in Old Town on July 20.
The Alexandria Police Department today (Wednesday) released body camera footage from a fatal shooting of a homicide suspect in the city’s West End last month.
Police Chief Tarrick McGuire also publicly disclosed the names of the victim as 27-year-old Emily Ramirez and the suspect, her boyfriend, 38-year-old Hector Amaya. According to APD, Amaya allegedly shot Ramirez multiple times with a handgun before charging at police and being shot and killed by two APD officers. McGuire characterized the incident as a domestic violence situation and described Ramirez as a T.C. Williams High School graduate and beloved Alexandrian.
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.
On Tuesday night, Police Chief Tarrick McGuire unveiled blueprints for the creation of the Alexandria Police Department’s new public safety plan.
McGuire told City Council the plan will be developed over the next year, and it includes the deployment of officers to crime hotspots identified by the city’s crime data. He said the plan is organized 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.
The Alexandria Police Department honored its fallen officers in an annual wreath laying ceremony today (May 6).
The wreath laying is part of Alexandria Police Week, which included a memorial church service this morning. There will also be a wreath-laying at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 7, at Waterfront Park in Old Town.
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire received praise from City Council Tuesday night for a 30% overall crime reduction in 2025.
In a presentation to City Council, McGuire said that violent crime went down an average of 29%, a difference of 111 offenses. Overall property crime was down by an average of 30%, a difference of more than 1,300 offenses.
