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Alexandria's major crime numbers fell sharply in 2025, with every Part 1 offense category declining year over year — but it wasn't until Tuesday night that Police Chief Tarrick McGuire sat before City Council and explained why it's happening, how he's doing it, and where he wants to take the department next.
The presentation was built around a newly released Brookings Institution analysis of crime trends across the Washington metropolitan area — and Alexandria's position in that data was striking. While Virginia jurisdictions saw an average per capita crime reduction of 10 to 14% between November 2024 and November 2025, Alexandria's reduction came in at 57% — the largest drop of any jurisdiction tracked in the DMV Monitor report, released March 10.
"When we looked at the presentation," Mayor Alyia Gaskins said during the discussion, "there were 20 slides of doom and gloom, and then this was the one bright spot."
The numbers
As The Alexandria Brief reported in January, total Part 1 offenses — the most serious crime categories tracked by law enforcement — fell substantially across every category in 2025. Overall, crime was down 30% compared to 2024. Violent crime dropped 29%: aggravated assaults fell 30%, robberies 25%, and rape declined 44%. Homicides held flat with no change year over year. Property crime dropped 30%: auto theft fell 47%, burglaries 39%, and larceny 27%.
The figures are preliminary and subject to change as investigations progress and incidents are reclassified under FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System requirements.
McGuire's strategy
McGuire, who was sworn in Dec. 10, 2024, after serving as assistant chief at the Arlington Police Department in Texas, outlined the approach he has been building since taking office. He described a multi-pronged strategy built around evidence-based policing, strategic weekly crime reviews coordinated with city departments and businesses, the repurposing of specialized units toward focused deterrence and enforcement, investment in community trust and engagement, and expanded use of technology.
On the tourism-oriented policing unit, which Councilwoman Jacinta Greene asked about, McGuire said targeted retail areas have seen approximately 10% crime reductions since the unit began operating. He described the approach as relationship-driven: officers assigned to specific locations every day, developing partnerships with businesses and gaining access to spaces where the department historically hadn't had a presence. He offered to provide a more detailed briefing for council.
McGuire's long-term stated goal was blunt: "Make Alexandria the safest city in America."
The technology conversation
The most forward-looking portion of the evening centered on technology — and a direct ask from McGuire for deeper council investment.
McGuire said the city's continued progress depends on force multipliers beyond sworn officers, particularly given ongoing hiring and retention challenges across law enforcement. "Whether it's mutual aid from cities for utilization of drones or real time information — the city is growing, people are coming here and we also need that technology not just to address the criminal element, but it also serves as a force multiplier to de-escalate situations," he said.
Mayor Gaskins and Councilman John Chapman both signaled interest in a dedicated technology conversation, pointing to an earlier discussion about a real-time crime center that had stalled. Gaskins said a previous budget request of $20,000 made it difficult to engage meaningfully with the concept. "I think we do need a dedicated conversation around technology — a much deeper dive on what are we looking at, how would it work and what's the cost," she said. Chapman asked for a memo laying out a vision and phased cost estimate. McGuire said he welcomed that conversation and committed to public education around any technology the department pursues.
LPR data and immigration concerns
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley and Councilmember Abdel Elnoubi questioned McGuire on license plate reader data — specifically, whether other Virginia law enforcement agencies that have access to Alexandria's LPR data could legally share it with federal immigration authorities.
McGuire said Virginia law explicitly prohibits sharing LPR data with federal law enforcement, and that violations would expose agencies to criminal prosecution and the potential loss of accreditation and police powers. "I would say that they would be subject to prosecution," he said.
Councilmember Elnoubi said that he appreciated the answer but remained concerned, citing what she described as the current federal administration's disregard for legal constraints. "We're dealing with a federal administration that does not respect the law," he said. "While I hear you on the guardrails, I still feel that there's not enough guardrails and I still worry about what's being done with our data."
McGuire acknowledged the uncertainty. "I empathize with that comment. I can speak to what we do here and what has been put into law in the Commonwealth of Virginia," he said, adding that no infractions of Alexandria's LPR data have occurred.
The exchange reflected broader community anxiety about data sharing and immigration enforcement that has surfaced repeatedly in Alexandria's public discourse in recent months.
Earlier in his presentation, McGuire noted that an APD license plate reader was recently used to quickly locate a former Metropolitan Police Department Officer who was wanted on five felony charges tied to an alleged assault in April 2025.
What comes next
McGuire is expected to return to the council in May for a deeper dive, including a more detailed presentation on technology opportunities, updated performance metrics, and an exploration of how the department's current KPIs align with the strategies now being implemented.
Mayor Gaskins also asked McGuire to address how the city can better capture and respond to quality-of-life complaints — loud vehicles, nuisance noise — that have been surfacing with increasing frequency in 311 calls. McGuire said the department could look at how to better categorize and report responses to those calls.
The evening also included praise for Assistant Chief Tina Laguna, who serves alongside McGuire in department leadership. Both Gaskins and Vice Mayor Bagley publicly commended Laguna for a presentation she made at a recent Women's Leadership Forum. "I don't think there was a person that left not transformed by your words," Gaskins said.
Update: March 25 at 9:45 a.m.: This story has been updated to correct the attribution of a quote from Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley to Councilmember Abdel Elnoubi in the "LPR data and immigration concerns" section of this story. I apologize for the error and for any confusion.
