ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Police Department is proposing a 30-day deadline for releasing body-worn camera footage following police-involved shootings and other critical incidents, a policy change prompted by the months-long delay in releasing video of a fatal shooting inside a Columbia Pike 7-Eleven.
The proposed changes would establish new requirements for public briefings, the release of officers' identities and explanations when video evidence is withheld or delayed. Residents have until Friday, Dec. 4, to provide feedback on the proposed policy.
The effort follows the May 8 fatal shooting of 33-year-old Shawn Valn during a nearly three-hour standoff with Arlington police at the 7-Eleven at 3602 Columbia Pike. The shooting and subsequent delays in releasing body camera footage prompted public demands for greater transparency and intervention by the Arlington County Board.
As Patch previously reported, police released body camera footage of Valn's shooting on Oct. 23, more than five months after the incident and a week after the deadline established by the County Board.
Police were called to the convenience store around 6:19 p.m. May 8 after a woman reported that Valn had threatened her. According to police, Valn displayed a knife outside the store, ignored officers' commands and entered the building, where he barricaded himself in a storage room.
Officers evacuated customers and employees while crisis negotiators spent nearly two hours attempting to persuade Valn to surrender.
During the standoff, officers deployed irritants into the storage room and used Tasers, which police said were ineffective because of Valn's heavy clothing.
The footage released Oct. 23 showed officers breaching the storage room door twice. Police said Valn advanced toward officers with a raised knife before two officers opened fire. Valn was transported to a hospital, where he died.
The two officers who fired their weapons remained assigned to limited, non-field duties while the shooting was under review, according to information released in October.
Arlington County Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti sought a special grand jury investigation of the shooting. A separate administrative investigation will examine whether officers complied with department policies and procedures after the criminal review concludes.
The shooting also prompted scrutiny of ACPD's procedures for releasing body camera footage.
On Sept. 25, the County Board directed County Manager Mark Schwartz to release video of the shooting by Oct. 16. County officials said they were working with a third-party specialist to prepare footage depicting the key events and timeline.
The deadline passed without the footage being released.
Police Chief Andy Penn subsequently told the County Board that the department was finalizing the video and developing clearer guidelines for future releases.
Following the Oct. 23 release, the County Board reiterated its commitment to working with the county manager, police chief and Independent Policing Auditor to develop an updated body camera policy for public review.
Under the proposed directive, titled "Release of Information," ACPD would release video evidence within 30 calendar days of a critical incident.
The footage would include narrated recordings from body-worn cameras, in-car cameras or other relevant video sources. The policy states that released footage must provide sufficient context to show the events leading up to and including the incident.
The department's current critical incident directive, revised May 15, 2025, allows the police chief or designee to approve the release of video evidence in consultation with the Commonwealth's Attorney. However, it does not establish a deadline.
The proposed policy includes several exceptions that could delay release beyond 30 days.
One exception would apply if the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team, which investigates police-involved critical incidents, has not presented its preliminary findings to the Commonwealth's Attorney and police chief.
Another would require concurrence from the Commonwealth's Attorney before footage is released during a pending criminal prosecution.
The proposed policy would also permit delays for unforeseen circumstances presented to the county manager for concurrence.
If ACPD cannot release video evidence within 30 days, the department would be required to notify the public before the deadline expires, explain the reason for the delay and provide an anticipated release date.
Additional public updates would be required if the department cannot meet that anticipated date.
The proposed directive does not establish a maximum extension for delayed releases.
The proposed policy would establish deadlines for communicating with the public immediately after a critical incident.
ACPD would be required to issue a press release within 24 hours of an incident or as soon as reasonably practicable.
Within 48 business hours, the police chief or designee would provide a video announcement or hold a press conference explaining the incident and the investigative process.
If the department cannot meet that deadline, it would be required to notify the public of the approximate date and time of the briefing.
The current critical incident directive establishes procedures for investigations and notifications but does not include comparable deadlines for public briefings.
The proposed directive would also establish standards for editing video evidence before its public release.
ACPD could blur faces, remove audio or withhold portions of recordings to protect juveniles, uninvolved individuals, sensitive locations and legally protected information.
The policy states that editing should not interfere with the public's ability to fairly and completely understand what happened, when possible.
If information critical to understanding an incident must be withheld, the department would be required to explain what was withheld and why.
However, the proposal does not specifically require ACPD to release every available camera angle or provide complete, un-narrated recordings alongside the department's narrated videos.
The police chief or designee would retain sole authority to approve the release of critical incident footage and other department-controlled evidence.
The proposed policy would also change the rules governing the release of information about officers directly involved in critical incidents.
Under the current directive, the police chief may approve the release of an officer's identity during an active criminal or administrative investigation, following consultation with the Commonwealth's Attorney and a review of potential safety threats.
The proposed directive states that the department shall release an involved officer's name, rank, assignment, tenure and current duty status after the criminal investigation and independent review by the Commonwealth's Attorney have concluded.
ACPD could temporarily withhold an officer's name if a risk assessment identifies a credible threat or significant safety concern involving the officer or family members.
The department would be required to publicly explain safety-related delays when practicable.
The proposal also establishes additional restrictions on footage depicting officers killed or critically injured in the line of duty.
Under those provisions, portions of recordings directly depicting an officer's death would be redacted or withheld as permitted by law. The department would also seek to avoid releasing footage directly depicting officers who sustained life-threatening injuries.
The proposed directive does not establish an equivalent categorical restriction for footage depicting civilian deaths, although its broader privacy and legal protections would still apply.
ACPD is accepting public comments on the proposed changes through Friday, Dec. 4. Residents can review the draft Release of Information directive and submit feedback through the department's online comment form. According to the department, all comments will be reviewed and evaluated for possible incorporation into the final policy. Questions about the proposed changes can be emailed to ACPDpolicy@arlingtonva.us.
The proposed directive has not yet been assigned an effective revision date.
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