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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Alexandria Police Department will receive $38,964 in federal grant money to pay overtime for task forces and special details and to hire patrol officers, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Tuesday.
The award comes through the Justice Department's Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program, which funds personnel, equipment, training, forensic tools and information systems for state and local agencies.
Alexandria's share is part of $1,716,459 going to Virginia agencies, and represents about 2% of the statewide total.
"Keeping Virginians safe means ensuring the officers, investigators, first responders, and court personnel who serve our communities day in and day out have the training, technology, and equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively," the senators said in a joint statement.
How Alexandria compares
Nine Northern Virginia agencies are receiving awards totaling about $515,000. Alexandria ranks fourth among them.
Prince William County police received the region's largest award at $146,826, for replacing aging portable radios with a more secure system. Fairfax County police received $142,035 to start a regional training program on investigating and prosecuting child exploitation, abuse and trafficking. Arlington County received $69,097 for equipment and supplies.
Below Alexandria are Stafford County's sheriff's office at $37,657, Loudoun County's sheriff's office at $34,964 for ballistic shields, Fredericksburg at $16,552, Leesburg at $15,482 and Manassas at $13,899.
The largest awards statewide went to Norfolk, $188,997 to investigate recovered crime guns, and Newport News, $156,527 for leadership training and equipment.
What sets Alexandria's apart
Most agencies on the list are buying things — radios, rifle optics, drones, ballistic shields, laser scanners, forensic laptops. Virginia Beach is using part of its award to buy a police horse.
Alexandria's is one of the few awards directed primarily at personnel costs rather than equipment: overtime for task forces and special details, and hiring officers for patrol.
Context
The senators said the announcement follows more than $6 million in federal funding for state and local law enforcement across Virginia announced last month. They tied that earlier round in part to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.
