Alexandria, Va.- At its Tuesday, Sept. 26, meeting, the Alexandria City Council received a comprehensive citywide crime reduction strategy from senior members of the City of Alexandria’s public safety team. Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes, Sheriff Sean Casey, Director of Court Services Mike Mackey, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Commonwealth Attorney Bryan Porter, and Deputy City Manager Yon Lambert discussed recent trends in crime, addressed Council’s concerns regarding community safety, and presented actionable solutions to reduce crime across our community.
“In Alexandria, we are on uncomfortable, but not unprecedented, terrain,” said Hayes. “We have an experienced senior leadership team partnering across multiple agencies to aggressively reduce serious crime and gun violence in hot spots, support the prosecution and trial of offenders, continue our low recidivism rates, and foster safe, supportive environments for our youth.”
As the Police Department continues to expand its staffing levels and deploy new technologies, it is increasingly able to focus on solution-oriented, place-based techniques to reverse the trend of increasing crime.
“License plate readers are a prime example of technology we are able to access in real time and collaborate with other jurisdictions to identify and apprehend bad actors in our communities,” Hayes said. During the City’s six-month license plate reader camera pilot, the department closed 14 cases, made 33 arrests/warrants, and recovered over $250,000 in stolen property.
The City’s plan includes:
- Using focused deterrence and technology to aggressively reduce crime and gun violence in hot spots
- Prioritizing Commonwealth Attorney assignments to gun offenses, fentanyl, sex offenses and incidents on school property or events
- Continue focusing on interventions that contribute to our low recidivism rates
- Build safe, supportive environments for our youth
- Actively pursue federal, state funding and legislative solutions
- Remain accountable to the community with focus on performance indicators and the delivery of transparent, accessible data