Arlington police officers defend the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 (photo via Tyler Merbler/Flickr)
Arlington is getting reimbursed by the federal government for lending officers to security details around the U.S. Capitol.
The Arlington County Police Department provided about 50 tactical officers to U.S. Capitol Police during the recent State of the Union address on March 1. Under a Memorandum of Understanding with USCP, approved by the County Board in November after another mutual aid deployment, ACPD will provide officers to assist at the Capitol when necessary and the costs of the deployment will be reimbursed.
At its Saturday meeting, the Board approved the federal reimbursement for ACPD’s security assistance on March 1 and gave County Manager Mark Schwartz the authority to accept future reimbursements, up to $50,000 per day of aid.
More from a report to the County Board:
The Police Department is an active member, throughout the region, in providing mutual aid assistance. This effort allows for the appropriate utilization of resources both within and outside of the County. Our commitment to regional partnerships greatly enhances the safety and well-being of the citizenry.
The Police Department was requested to provide mutual aid resources to the United States Capitol Police to assist with the security of the Capitol building and grounds for the State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. The Tactical Operations Section provided approximately 50 members of the Police Department as tactical resources. The Police Department is utilizing the above referenced MOU to obtain reimbursement for related costs incurred for the deployment.
Delegation of the County Board’s authority to accept reimbursement of funds from the United States Capitol Police to the County Manager up to and including $50,000 per day of mutual aid rendered for future deployments would improve the efficiency in receiving reimbursement of funds.
Along Columbia Pike at twilight (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Dispute Leads to Violence, Vehicular Mayhem — “The victim pulled the suspect out of the vehicle and he pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground. A security guard intervened and separated the parties. The suspect then reentered his vehicle, described as a white van, and fled the scene. While fleeing, the suspect allegedly struck the victim’s vehicle, a sign on the property, and drove towards the security guard, causing him to dive out of the way.” [ACPD]
Beyer Wants Quieter Airplanes — “As the representative for the area around Reagan National Airport, one of the most common concern heard by Rep. Don Beyer is airplane noise. On Friday, Beyer is reintroducing the Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act to seek study on reducing airplane noise and emissions.” [Patch]
Top ACPD Official Retires — “Per a tribute that just went out on ACPD’s dispatch channel, Deputy Chief Michael Dunne is retiring today after 38 years of service.” [Twitter]
Arlington Ranks No. 15 for Solo Affordability — “Rent prices are rising rapidly in many of America’s largest cities. Nationally, average rent increased by 11.3% between the start of 2021 and 2022… In this study, we compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across topics such as rent costs, earnings, living costs and employment to uncover where renters can afford to live alone.” [SmartAsset]
Major Delays at DCA — “At Reagan National Airport in the Washington, D.C. region on Thursday, more than 200 flights — roughly 43 percent of scheduled departures — were delayed, and 79, or 16 percent, were canceled. At Dulles International Airport, only 4 percent of scheduled departures were canceled, but 30 percent of flights were delayed.” [Washington Post]
Flyover for Tuskegee Airman — “Memorial events for Brigadier General Charles E. McGee, one of the last surviving members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, were held Friday… McGee’s funeral took place at Arlington National Cemetery with a flyover.” [WJLA, WRIC]
Chance Connection Turns into Emotional Bond — “An Arlington, Virginia, family recently met someone who has an indelible connection to their deceased father that was forged in the chaos and smoking debris at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.” [NBC 4]
It’s Monday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 77 and low of 57. Sunrise at 5:45 am and sunset at 8:38 pm. [Weather.gov]
Editor’s Note — Our staff has the day off due to the federal observation of the Juneteenth holiday. Barring breaking news, we will only be publishing in the morning today.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg of the Legal Aid Justice Center (file photo)
Activists say a county proposal to prohibit police cooperation with federal immigration agencies in most circumstances doesn’t go far enough.
The proposed policy, dubbed the “Trust Policy,” is set to be discussed at this Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting. The Board is scheduled to vote on the policy at its July meeting.
A group called Communities of Arlington Protected from Abuse by ICE (CAPA) believes the policy only codifies what already exists and doesn’t change police department policies that allow officers to ask and share citizenship information in certain circumstances. CAPA is made up of immigration advocacy groups Legal Aid Justice Center, La ColectiVA and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.
The proposed policy states that all county employees are forbidden to ask for or disclose an individual’s citizenship status, unless specifically exempted by current police department policy or required by state or federal law.
Under the policy, county employees would be prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration officials to enforce federal immigration laws, as well as using or lending county resources to help them access an individual’s identity information, help an investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration based on citizenship status. They also cannot threaten others because of their citizenship status.
Moreover, the proposed policy would allow any resident to access government services without providing proof of legal presence.
Currently, the policy governing the relationship between the local police and federal immigration agencies like ICE is Policy 523.04 of the ACPD Directive Manual. It states that the the police department does not “conduct immigration enforcement investigations.” A police officer cannot ask about the citizenship status of a victim or a witness of a crime and cannot arrest somebody based solely on a suspected immigration violation.
However, when someone is arrested for a crime, a police officer can under reasonable suspicion notify a federal immigration agency of an individual’s citizenship status, according to the directive manual. The proposed policy will not affect this exception.
“Our primary concerns are the ways that the draft ‘Trust Policy’ continues collaboration between Arlington Police and ICE,” Director of the Immigrant Advocacy Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a press release.
The groups believe the proposed policy gives too much discretion to the police to cooperate with federal immigration agencies by not striking the exceptions listed in the current department policy.
“ACPD’s Directive does little to end ACPD’s collaboration with ICE, and instead gives police officers vast discretion to interrogate community members about their immigration status,” said the coalition. “Merely because those community members are suspected of certain criminal activity.”
The groups also criticized the proposed policy for not further regulating the Sheriff’s Office, which runs the county jail, or allowing individuals to use non-standard ID to access government services.
“The goals and aims of Arlington County’s Trust Policy cannot be achieved without ensuring that the Sheriff’s Office ceases its cooperation with ICE,” the groups said.
The groups urged the County Board to adopt the policy they drew up instead. In the CAPA policy, which includes similar provisions as in the proposed Trust Policy, people would be allowed to use non-government issued IDs to access government services and benefits.
The police department sought community input when drafting the current version of Policy 523.04, said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
“Throughout late 2021 and early 2022, ACPD collaborated with community members, organizations and stakeholders and sought their input on an updated version of manual directive 523.04 Immigration Status and Access to Police Services, which was issued to all ACPD personnel on February 15, 2022,” she said.
Police on scene of robbery at a bank in Ballston in May (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington saw a significant rise in crime in 2021 compared to the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.
The overall crime picture was something of a mixed bag, with most crime categories rising but no murders and a steep drop in drug charges in 2021, thanks in large part due to the decriminalization of marijuana in Virginia.
The stats come from the Arlington County Police Department’s annual report, which mostly focused on the year-over-year change in crime rates compared to 2020.
From the report:
The overall crime rate, reported as Group A Offenses, increased 4.8% in 2021 as compared to the previous year. Reported crimes against persons increased 24% in 2021, primarily driven by increases in aggravated and simple assaults. Reported crimes against property offenses increased 7.4% with marked increases in robbery, destruction/damage/vandalism and burglary/breaking and entering offenses. Notably, as a result of focused enforcement efforts and increased community awareness, thefts from motor vehicles decreased -13.1% from 2020. The Department remains committed to reducing, preventing and solving crime through active patrols, strategic deployment of police resources and comprehensive follow-up investigations.
Arlington saw a slight rise in sex offenses compared to 2019 and a larger rise compared to 2020. The rise in violent crime is in line with nationaltrends, and ACPD noted that its overall crime rate is below the Virginia average.
“The total number of offenses, as well as the violent crime rate (offenses per 100,000 persons) remains below the 2021 Virginia average, and below the most-recent FBI Uniform Crime Report,” the department said in a press release.
“Group A” rates of mostly violent crime (via ACPD)
Property crime overall did not rise as steeply as violent crime, though burglary, robbery and vandalism all saw significant increases.
As noted in the annual report, vehicle thefts were down compared to 2020, but were up nearly 40% compared to 2019.
“Group A” rates of property crime (via ACPD)
A large drop in drug charges — down more than 50%, from 1,104 to 575, compared to 2019 — was attributed to changes in state law.
Arlington continued to see a rise in opioid overdoses, however, with total fatal (28) and non-fatal overdoses (64) reaching new highs, at least going back to the 2015.
Reported opioid incidents (via ACPD)
There was some good news in the report related to vehicle and pedestrian crashes, which both declined in 2021 compared to the prior two years.
Some of that positive news is at least partially offset by another stat: Driving Under the Influence charges are on the rise, reaching 382 in 2021, up 24% from 2019. Also, there were 4 fatal crashes, which is just shy of the average for the pre-pandemic years of 2017-2019.
ARLnow previously reported that 61 crashes in 2021 were considered severe. Arlington is now in the second year of its five-year Vision Zero action plan to eliminate fatal and severe crashes.
Crash rates (via ACPD)
“The number of collisions resulting in injury (369) was lower than any time in recent records,” the annual report noted. “ACPD responded to the rise in alcohol-related collisions with increased DUI enforcement and arrests in 2021.”
Police staffing remains a concern. The report says the count of ACPD sworn staff as of June 13 was 325. That’s down from 346 in September, a police spokeswoman confirmed. In March, ACPD announced that it would reduce some services due to staffing challenges.
Police Chief Andy Penn said in a statement that “2021 brought unique challenges as we continued to navigate the uncertainty of a global pandemic.”
“Throughout the year, the sworn and civilian staff of ACPD remained resilient and rose to each new challenge while continuing to provide the highest quality police services,” he said. “I am incredibly proud of the work they do each and every day in service to our community. I also recognize we are at our very best when working in collaboration with the community and appreciate all who engaged with us throughout the year to make us the very best we can be.”
Police on scene of stabbing in the Crystal City area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of stabbing in the Crystal City area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police helicopter assisting with search for stabbing suspect in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of stabbing in the Crystal City area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of stabbing in the Crystal City area in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated on 6/17/22) Police swarmed the Crystal City area this morning after a serious stabbing.
Initial reports suggest that a man was stabbed in the neck during some sort of an argument on the 2400 block of S. Eads Street, near the CVS.
A police helicopter helped with the search for the suspect, but departed shortly after noon. Eads Street was closed to traffic as a result of the investigation.
The victim was rushed to a local trauma center via ambulance. Blood could be seen on the edge of the sidewalk along Eads, in front of the store.
Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage said the victim is expected to recover. From an ACPD crime report on Friday:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2022-06160108, 2400 block of Richmond Highway. At approximately 11:27 a.m. on June 16, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a stab wound and immediate began rendering aid. He was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered serious but non-life threatening. The suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers. A search of the area, including an aerial search involving a police helicopter, concluded with negative results. The suspect is described as a Black male with a thin build, 30 to 40 years old with shoulder-length dreadlocks wearing a red shirt and dark pants. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect approached the victim and a verbal dispute ensued, during which the suspect produced a knife and struck the victim. The investigation is ongoing.
POLICE ACTIVITY: ACPD is investigating a stabbing in the 2400 Richmond Highway. The victim has been transported to an area hospital. A helicopter is assisting with an aerial search for the suspect – described as a Black male, shoulder length dreadlocks and wearing a red shirt.
These were among the first responders who were given accolades at this morning’s annual Public Safety Awards, organized by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
Thirteen first responders and public safety workers were awarded for their efforts over the last year in helping, saving, and protecting members of the Arlington public.
Dr. Aaron Miller — Director of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management — meritorious award for his work organizing the distribution of personal protection equipment and at-home Covid testing kits to the public, as well as managing public testing sites.
Corporal Shellie Pugh-Washington — Sheriff’s Office — meritorious award for her 30-year career, first as a corrections officer and now as a background investigator.
Deputy Babatunde Agboola, Deputy Christopher Laureano, and Deputy Seaton Sok — Sheriff’s Office — life-saving award for saving the life of an individual in law enforcement custody who was found bleeding and unconscious.
Master Police Officer Tara Crider — Police Department — meritorious award for her work in the crime unit investigating forensic evidence as well as teaching others about her job.
Officer Jesse R. Brown, Corporal Thomas C.J. DeNoville, and Corporal Juan P. Montoya — Police Department — life-saving award for successfully de-escalating a situation involving a knife-wielding man outside of police headquarters.
Captain Cheryl Long — Fire Department — meritorious award for her work devising a system that helped organize first responders’ mandatory days off, saving hours of administrative work.
Firefighter/EMT C.J. Kretzer and Firefighter/EMT Aaron Scoville — Fire Department — life-saving award for saving a woman’s life after she was accidentally run over by her own vehicle, partially severing one of her legs.
Firefighter/Paramedic Jeremy Tate, Fire Department — a valor award for rescuing a construction worker who had gone into cardiac arrest at an excavation site, using an industrial crane.
ACPD provided additional information about each of the police awards above via social media.
The program was hosted by ABC7/WJLA reporter Victoria Sanchez, who noted that both her father and husband were police officers.
“I know how hard you guys work. When you go home today, thank your [family] for supporting you,” she said. “Your job is so difficult and they worry about you, just like I worried about my dad and my husband every single time they went out on patrol.”
2022 Public Safety Awards issued by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce at a virtual event (courtesy photo)
Prior to the awards being announced, County Board Chair Katie Cristol provided a 12 minute “State of the County” address.
Cristol spoke of continuing recovery from the pandemic, office vacancy rates, Crystal City becoming a transportation hub, approving salary increases for first responders, and — notably — the missing middle housing study.
With the average sale of a home in Arlington spiking to beyond a million dollars, there are now “existential questions,” she said, about who Arlington will be for “if only the wealthiest can buy homes here.” Cristol said that legalizing alternate forms of housing on a single lot may not fix everything, but it could help.
“It can unlock opportunities that are currently off limits for far too many of our neighborhoods and make homes affordable to significant percentages of our black and Latino populations, affordable to moderate income earners like teachers,” she said. “It creates a pathway for innovations and ownership tools like community land trusts or expansions of the Moderate Income Purchase Assistance Program.”
County Board Chair Katie Cristol delivering her 2022 State of the County address (courtesy Arlington Chamber of Commerce)
After her address, there were several pre-selected questions including one about making temporary outdoor seating areas for restaurants permanent. Cristol noted that she was in favor of doing that, but cautioned that sidewalks and curb space where many of these seating areas are much desired.
“I joke that these are some of the most hotly contested areas of real estate in the county,” she said. “It’s about how we use sidewalks and manage that space between everything…from street trees to ADA accessibility to parking to bike lanes. So, it’s really about trying to balance all of those different interests.”
More on Cristol’s address from a Chamber of Commerce press release, below.
Alexander Sentayhu, 25, thought there was an active shooter in Thomas Jefferson Middle School after, police say, he received text messages from relatives inside this past Friday afternoon. The school had been secured and locked to the outside due to a robbery at a 7-Eleven store nearby.
Sentayhu went to the school to pick up his relatives, “believing there may possibly be an act of violence occurring inside,” Arlington County police said.
“Upon finding the school locked, the suspect called the Emergency Communications Center indicating he was armed and requested access to the school,” police said. “At approximately 12:51 p.m., the suspect kicked the door, breaking the glass, and continued to try to force the door open. He was unsuccessful in gaining entry and left the scene prior to the arrival of officers.”
Police on scene at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Sentayhu spoke at a White House press conference with Vice President Kamala Harris in April, highlighting the issue of medical debt, according to news reports. ARLnow previously reported on an online fundraiser for Sentayhu in early 2020, after he incurred steep medical costs while suffering a significant heart issue.
The news reports on the press conference noted that Sentayhu served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Sentayhu turned himself in Friday night and was charged with Destruction of Public Property. He was released on bond but may face additional charges, police said.
In a press release Monday evening, the police department assured residents that it is well prepared to respond to incidents of active violence in schools, while pledging to work with Arlington Public Schools to communicate with families and residents about such incidents.
A parent told ARLnow on Friday that students and parents were initially panicked when the school was abruptly secured without explanation. It happened amid anxiety about school violence following the May 24 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
A man tried to lure a girl into his vehicle at a gas station along Langston Blvd this past Thursday, police say.
The incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on the 5600 block of Langston Blvd, about two blocks west of the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center.
The man fled after the girl started yelling for help. Police are now looking for the suspect, as well as another man who was driving the car in which he fled. Both are said to be in their 20s.
From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
At approximately 6:36 p.m. on June 9, police were dispatched to the late report of an enticement. Officers made contact with the reporting party who stated at approximately 6:00 p.m. the female juvenile victim was seated in the backseat of a vehicle parked at a gas pump when the unknown male suspect, who was seated in the passenger seat of a blue sedan, attempted to engage her in conversation and repeatedly asked her to get inside of his vehicle. The victim yelled, alerting their guardian and the suspect fled the scene in the vehicle which was driven by another male. During the incident, the suspect did not make physical contact with the victim and no injuries were reported.
Police on scene at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in June 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Robbery at 7-Eleven store on S. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Robbery at 7-Eleven store on S. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated on 6/13/22) A robbery at a convenience store may have led to a panic about an active shooter at a nearby Arlington middle school.
It started at the 7-Eleven at 201 S. Glebe Road. Police were dispatched there shortly before 12:30 p.m. for a report of a man with a weapon robbing the store. They were initially told that someone was injured inside.
“At approximately 12:21, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury inside a business in the 200 block of S. Glebe Road,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Preliminary investigation indicates the suspect entered the business, produced a hammer, smashed a display case, stole merchandise and attempted to assault an employee. The suspect resisted arrest but was successful taken into custody by officers. Charges are pending.”
In the end, no one was found to be injured. The suspect was initially held at gunpoint by arriving officers, then arrested, according to scanner traffic.
As officers were rushing to the scene, ACPD asked that nearby Thomas Jefferson Middle School be placed on “secure the school mode” — in other words, locked from the outside. Given the recent mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school, the somewhat routine security precaution may have panicked some students and parents.
Around 1 p.m. police were dispatched to the school for a report of a man armed with a gun who was trying to get inside, apparently in an effort to stop a potential active shooter. By the time officers arrived, the man had left the school campus, but a glass door at the entrance was damaged.
(On June 13, a local man was charged with Destruction of Public Property after allegedly trying to break into the school, concerned that an act of violence was underway inside.)
Damaged door at TJ Middle School entrance (photo courtesy anonymous)
Savage said the initial indication is that “the report of an individual with the gun was someone picking up a student at the school.” No other details were immediately available.
“Police remain on scene investigating the circumstances of what occurred,” Savage said. She noted that there was “no threat to TJ Middle related to [the robbery].”
But parents, students and teachers were allegedly left in the dark as to why the school was secured.
“My daughter texted us and said they hadn’t been told why they were in lockdown,” a parent told ARLnow. “We did not hear from the school. Apparently teachers weren’t told why either.”
“There were a lot of scared students,” the parent added.
Arlington County police say a group of four kids under the age of 18 broke into about seven cars in the residential Gulf Branch neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
Police managed to detain a suspect after a brief chase on foot, but no damage or thefts were reported and the victims declined to press charges.
More from an ACPD crime report:
VEHICLE TAMPERING/LARCENY FROM AUTO (Series), 2022-06070024/06070032/06070033/06070034/06070036/06070037, 3400 block of N. Thomas Street/4200 block of 35th Street N./3300 block of N. Randolph Street/4400 block of 35th Street N./4100 block of 34th Street N. At approximately 3:39 a.m. on June 7, police were dispatched to multiple reports of vehicle tamperings. Responding officers observed a group of four juvenile subjects in the area who took off running upon seeing them. A brief foot pursuit was initiated and officers located one subject and detained him without incident. The investigation determined that the subjects allegedly entered into and rummaged through approximately seven victim vehicles. No items were reported damaged or stolen and the victims did not wish to seek prosecution. The juvenile was released to his guardian. The investigation is ongoing.
Another Arlington optometrist location has been robbed of eyeglass frames.
Police say a store on the 4200 block of Wilson Blvd was robbed of eyeglasses by three suspects shortly before it opened Sunday morning. One of the suspects allegedly “made threatening statements” to an employee before fleeing.
Police were called about a half hour later.
Arlington County police do not typically identify businesses that have been victims of crime, but the information provided in an ACPD crime report, below, corresponds to the location and hours of a LensCrafters location and affiliated optometry practice in an open air portion of Ballston Quarter mall.
This is at least the third such eyeglasses robbery in Arlington this year and the latest in a spate of such robberies across the D.C. area. Previous robberies in Arlington have taken place in Clarendon and along Columbia Pike.
The full ACPD crime report entry is below.
ROBBERY, 2022-06050114, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 11:30 a.m. on June 5, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 10:50 a.m., the male suspect entered the closed business and an employee advised him to come back during their business hours. A short time later, the male suspect returned, followed by two additional male suspects. Suspects One and Two began to grab eyeglass frames from the shelves, while Suspect Three acted as a lookout. The employee confronted Suspect One, who made threatening statements towards her before the three suspects fled the scene on foot with the stolen merchandise. Suspect One is described as a Black male with a medium build, approximately 25-30 years old, 6’1″-6’3″, wearing a peach shirt, tan pants and small black cross body bag. Suspect Two is described as a Black male with a thin build, approximately 25-30 years old, 6’0″, wearing a gray hoodie, black pants, gator-style mask and black sneakers. Suspect Three is described as a Black male with a thin build, approximately 25-30 years old, 6’0″, wearing a gray hoodie, black ripped jeans, face mask and black shoes. The investigation is ongoing.
