After months of public outcry over privacy concerns, Alexandria will shut down its 61 license plate readers and other cameras along public roadways this week.
On Tuesday night, Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon and Police Chief Tarrick McGuire briefed City Council that the department will deactivate all Flock cameras in the city within 48 hours and fully remove them by December.
Under mounting privacy fears from residents, APD has answered more City Council questions on Flock surveillance cameras and released a map of where 61 of the automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are located throughout the city.
The Alexandria Police Department made nearly 21,000 automated license plate reader queries between August 2025 and August 2026, directly leading to 72 felony charges and 65 misdemeanor charges. That would represent about 5% out of the total 2,694 criminal arrests made during that period. The Flock surveillance cameras also helped APD locate three missing persons and recover 35 stolen vehicles and four firearms, according to APD’s updated FAQ page on Flock cameras.
Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) heavily criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday night in Alexandria and said that his administration’s attempts to upend voter registrations across the country won’t work in Virginia.
Spanberger was the keynote speaker at the Alexandria branch of the NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund Dinner, held at The Satire, Autograph Collection hotel in Old Town North. Spanberger, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) and Mayor Alyia Gaskins (D) all received “breaking barriers” awards from the organization.
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said that the suspect charged with the murder of Charles Talley in the city’s West End on July 15 was tracked down with automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, and he has since been extradited from North Carolina.
The victim, Charles Talley, was shot and killed on the evening of Wednesday, July 15, in the parking lot of the ParcView Apartments in the 5300 block of Holmes Run Parkway. Corey Delantau Stubblefield has been held without bond since his arrest in North Carolina on Aug. 27, and was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of murder.
Independent Policing Auditor Ameratu Kamara has resigned amid several investigations into deaths in Alexandria police custody.
Alexandria City Council met this morning (Oct. 2) to accept Kamara’s resignation, effective Oct. 3. City Council’s 6-0 vote will provide Kamara with five months of salary as severance pay and payout of any unused leave.
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.
