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Good morning, Alexandria.
Alexandria police won't say where their Flock cameras are, and they haven't decided to keep the data for less than 21 days. Those answers came Saturday, three weeks after I asked and three days before the council hears a report on the program tonight. Meanwhile, there are now three counts of how many cameras the city has — 61, 67, or at least 81, depending on the source.
Also today: an error in the ACPS walk zone tool confused families about bus eligibility, and the division is short 18 drivers. Council meets at 7 p.m. And the goats arrive at James Marx All Veterans Park.
Here's what you need to know for Tuesday, Sept. 8.
1️⃣ Police won't publish Flock camera locations and have no plans to shorten data retention
The Alexandria Police Department will not publish where its Flock license plate readers are, and has made no decision to shorten the 21 days it keeps the data, the department told me Saturday. The answers came three weeks after I sent seven questions, and three days before council gets an update on the program tonight.
Locations are the central question, partly because nobody agrees on the count. The city's portal still says 61 cameras. The Alexandria Times verified 77 last week, or at least 81 counting four Axon readers APD reported to state police. Mayor Alyia Gaskins put the number at 67 in a June 2025 email to the city manager. "APD will not publish specific camera locations due to operational and investigative considerations," Strategic Communications Manager Tracy Walker wrote, adding that the department will expand what it publishes online over the coming month.
The list of agencies with access to Alexandria's data keeps shrinking — 161 on Aug. 18, 158 last week, 153 as of Sunday. Walker said agencies drop off when they stop participating and that the list is maintained through a database rather than by APD, but didn't say which ones left. Comparing versions, one is identifiable: the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Four of my original seven questions remain unanswered, including whether APD will turn on Flock's new control blocking other departments from searching Alexandria's cameras for immigration-related offenses.
2️⃣ Council returns tonight with Flock update, tax bill for furloughed federal workers
The Flock report is one of four oral updates City Manager James Parajon gives council tonight, and none of them has a document attached to the docket. Executive session at 6, regular meeting at 7 at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center. It's council's first regular legislative meeting since June 23.
Also up: an ordinance letting the city push back the personal property tax due date for federal employees furloughed in a shutdown, and for essential workers going without pay. Finance Director Kevin Greenlief wrote that staff brought it forward ahead of the Oct. 5 deadline, and that during the last shutdown the department set up about 200 payment plans.
Council also fills 15 board and commission seats, including two on the Independent Community Policing Review Board — which is still waiting on Independent Policing Auditor Ameratu Kamara's supplemental findings in the Allan F. Tucker II case. She told council in July she was aiming for September. Parajon's other three reports cover the economy, the City/ACPS budget process, and efforts to limit the impact of City Hall construction on nearby businesses.
3️⃣ School Board committee says an error in the walk zone locator confused families, and ACPS is short 18 bus drivers
The online tool families used to check whether their kids qualified for a bus had an error in it, three School Board members wrote Friday in an account of their Aug. 31 committee meeting. The problem was in how the locator applied the one-mile standard for K-8 students and the 1.5-mile standard for high schoolers. It's the fullest explanation the division has given since school opened Aug. 24 with late buses, missed stops and, for some families, no ride at all.
ACPS is also short 18 bus drivers and has been covering routes by doubling them up — a driver finishes one route, then starts another. The division expects to hire and onboard replacements by the end of September, and cites competition from higher-paying commercial driving jobs. A 2025 study found the fleet running at less than 60% of capacity.
Staff told the committee that about 97% of eligible students have route assignments and every student assigned to a route has gotten to school. The board members noted that doesn't mean routes ran on time. And the account still doesn't say how many students lost bus eligibility when the new walk zones took effect — without that number, the scale of the change remains unestablished.
In brief
Virginia State Police responded to a fatal crash Monday night on the ramp from Interstate 395 westbound to Duke Street southbound, and Alexandria police closed the ramp, the department said in a 9:13 p.m. post. Police had released no further details as of publication. I've asked state police for more. (Alexandria Police Department)
Between 35 and 40 goats and sheep start grazing a kudzu-covered slope at James Marx All Veterans Park today, in a city pilot testing whether livestock can clear terrain too steep and rocky for crews or mowers. They'll work behind a temporary electric fence for up to 10 days, staying on site overnight. The city asks visitors to watch rather than touch, keep children outside the fence and keep dogs leashed and at a distance. The pilot costs $9,500. (The Brief)
ACPS dedicates the Jean B. Reid Media Center at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary from 10 to 11 a.m. today, honoring a reading specialist who spent 30 years with the division. It's the third of four facility namings the School Board approved in December. (The Brief)
The city honors residents who are 100 or older at its Centenarian Celebration at 5:30 p.m. today in the cafeteria of the Del Pepper Community Resource Center, 4850 Mark Center Drive. Honorees receive certificates, the Alexandria Citizens Band performs, and there's birthday cake. The city recognized 13 centenarians last year. The event moved to the West End this year because of the City Hall renovation. (The Brief)
Rep. Don Beyer and his three November opponents are making affordability the issue in the 8th District, with challengers arguing his long tenure hasn't delivered. Beyer has raised more than $2.1 million; his opponents have raised less than $50,000 combined. Early voting starts Sept. 18. (Virginia Mercury/The Brief)
Sports
Nick Pivetta pitched five shutout innings in his return from a long stay on the injured list and the San Diego Padres beat the skidding Washington Nationals 3-2 on Monday to keep pace in the National League playoff race. (The Brief)
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Today in Alexandria
⛅ Weather
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87 degrees. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66 degrees. South wind around 6 mph.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:43 a.m., sunset at 7:27 p.m. 12 hours & 44 minutes of sun.
High tide at 6:21 a.m. & 6:56 p.m. Low tide at 12:19 a.m. & 1:13 p.m. The moon phase is a Waning Crescent.
🗓️ Things To Do
- 10 a.m.: ACPS will dedicate the Jean B. Reid Media Center at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School
- 7 p.m.: Beer Yoga at Port City Brewing Company
🎶 Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Justin Gillen Trio at 9 p.m.
- Atlas Brew Works ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Cooper Mill: Music Bingo at 6 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Antonio James at 6 p.m.
- Lena's: Round About on the patio at 6 p.m.
- Lost Dog Cafe: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Pete Baker at 8:30 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Trivia at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Commodore: Trivia at 7 p.m.
🏛️ City & Schools
City Gov.: Open | Flag: Full Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste: 1-Day Slide
- 7 a.m.: Old Town Pool open
- 8:45 a.m.: Supplemental Retirement Plan Pension Board meeting
- 8:45 a.m.: Firefighters and Police Officers Pension Plan Board meeting at Lee Center
- 9 a.m.: Board of Equalization hearing at Bankers Square
- 4 p.m.: Minnie Howard Pool open
- 4:15 p.m.: Commission on Employment regular meeting at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center
- 5:30 p.m.: Centenarian Celebration at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center
- 6 p.m.: City Council legislative meeting at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (executive session at 6, regular meeting at 7)
- 6:30 p.m.: Line Dance Social at Charles Houston Recreation Center
- 6:30 p.m.: ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame Advisory Committee Meeting at ACHS Media Center
- 7 p.m.: Hume Avenue Stormdrain Bypass Project community meeting at Mount Vernon Recreation Center
- 7 p.m.: Commission for Women monthly meeting
📚 Alexandria Library
- 10 a.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) 1 Workshop — Beginner Conversation at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 11 a.m.: Baby and Toddler Time at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 1 p.m.: Medicare 101 at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 4 p.m.: Bead Buddies at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 5 p.m.: Duncan and Dragons — The Kingdoms of Living Giants at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: LEGO Night at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 6:30 p.m.: Teen Volunteer Orientation at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 7 p.m.: How to Stand Out in Today's Job Market at Virtual
- 7 p.m.: Writing the Nightmare, an author talk with Daniel Kraus, at Virtual
⚾ Sports
D.C. Sports
- 9:40 p.m.: Washington Nationals at San Diego Padres
ACHS Titans
- 4 p.m.: Golf at Fairfax, Army Navy Country Club
- 6:30 p.m.: Volleyball (girls) at Lake Braddock
- 6:30 p.m.: Volleyball (boys) vs. Lake Braddock at Minnie Howard
- Varsity only. Full schedule, including JV and freshman.
On this day in Alexandria's history
On Sept. 8, 1922, Alexandria began collecting trash and garbage as a city service for the first time. It came a week after the City Council hired Wilder Rich as the city's first city manager, and it replaced what had been the norm in the early 20th century — littered streets and backyard dump sites. (Historic Alexandria)
A hundred and four years later, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is running a day late all week because of Labor Day.
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Publisher: Ryan Belmore, an Alexandria resident, journalist, and neighbor. Send news, tips, and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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