New Alexandria police chief says crime is down in his first 100 days

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Alexandria's new Police Chief Tarrick McGuire addressed the mayor and the City Council gave an update Tuesday night on how his first 100 days on the job have gone, as well as a first quarter crime report.

One of the first things Chief McGuire did after his hiring last December was to call on the community to have conversations and to get feedback on areas of concern and ways to establish safer neighborhoods and he was pleased to report tonight that Alexandria is safer in the first three months of 2025.

By the numbers:

"For the first time that I have been able to equate, crime has been down overall at least about 25%. As you can see by the screen, our violent crimes are down by 43%, our property crimes are down by 23%, our nuisance crimes are down about 36%. Overall, our crime is down this first quarter of the year by 25%," McGuire said. 

McGuire also highlighted how the department is using technology to reduce crime and says they have put a review process into place that helps with the correct use of police resources.

With officers working 12-hour shifts due to being understaffed, he established an evaluation process for shift schedules that would allow for a better work-life balance and has developed a wellness advisory group whose goal is to provide the necessary support to officers in managing stress, physical and mental health.

Dig deeper:

He also talked about the importance of building a relationship with the school system and of developing a mentor program for students in hopes of reducing school incidents.

 While McGuire acknowledges crime is down, he also acknowledges that there is still the fear of crime and for those that have been a victims, he recognizes it has a traumatic effect. He says one of his priorities is to build a relationship with the community to let them know they are building a public safety plan.