Alexandria Police Department Awarded $250,000 to Address Firearm-Related Crime Through Collaboration

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Alexandria, Va. - The Alexandria Police Department (APD) has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to implement gun violence intervention and prevention efforts. From 2021 to 2022, firearm-related offenses in Alexandria doubled. The City of Alexandria is committed to reversing that trend.

The rise in gun violence seen in Alexandria mirrors national and state-wide trends, which prompted DCJS to create grant opportunities to address the issue. In addition to APD, the Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney also received a $497,000 DCJS grant to prosecute gun-related offenses, and the 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 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. Focusing efforts on that portion of the city will enable the Program Coordinator to build meaningful partnerships as the point of contact with that community, helping to prevent localized cycles of violence.

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.

DCJS made $2.5 million in funding available statewide through its Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program supporting Operation Bold Blue Line, with localities able to apply for up to $250,000 with no match required. Awarded funding must be spent by December 31, 2025.

While there is no one solution to the lingering specter of gun violence, the City is committed to confronting it through these and other measures. 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.

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For more information contact:
Tracy Walker, APD Communications Manager, [email protected]