Crime In Alexandria To Be Discussed At Next Agenda Alexandria Forum

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Recent concerns of crime trending upward in Alexandria will be the topic of discussion at a community forum with law enforcement leaders.

Agenda Alexandria, an organization that holds numerous programs on different trending topics each year, will host "Rising Crime in Alexandria: Causes and Solutions," on Monday, May 22. There will be a reception at 6:30 pm at the Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St., before the program begins at 7 p.m. Virtual viewing will be provided through Facebook and YouTube.

The program will look at what is causing increases in crime, including drug violations and weapon violations. It will also look at what city officials and residents can do to make Alexandria safer.

Participants will include Police Chief Don Hayes; former Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne; Deputy Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Strange, who supervises the Special Victims Unit; and Jennifer Rohrbach, a parent of an Alexandria City High School student and co-moderator of the Return SROs to ACPS Facebook Group.

Alexandria Police had presented crime data to City Council in March showing violent crime was down despite overall crime increasing from 2021 to 2022. Gun-related crimes, which do not always involve reported injuries, rose significantly.

There has been particular concern of gunshot incidents in the Old Town West neighborhood near the Braddock Road Metro. The most recent case came on Tuesday, when the police chief reported a girl was injured in a shooting in the 1300 block of Wythe Street. The 700 block of N. Fayette Street, which is just around the corner from the Wythe Street shooting, has seen enough gunshot incidents that police have installed cameras and increased officer presence.

Attendees are asked to register for the event. Parking will be limited at the Lyceum, but nearby street and garage parking is available. Agenda Alexandria's Facebook and YouTube will livestream the discussion with help from the Alexandria City High School Broadcast Club and the Zebra Press.