ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Public Information Office
2003 Mill Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 838-4636
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 28, 2002
Serious Crime Rises in Alexandria,
Police See First Increase in Six Years
The Alexandria Police Department is reporting an increase in serious crime for 2001, up 10.9% from 2000. Crime rose in all Part I crime categories, except for Homicides which fell by 25%. This is the first increase since 1994, but still represents an overall decrease of 30% from just ten years ago.
Alexandria police reported the following activity under the standard Uniformed Crime Reports (UCR):
Part I Crime Statistics (January 1 - December 31)
| Offense | 2000 | 2001 | Change | 10-Year Avg |
| Homicide | 4 | 3 | -25% | 5 |
| Rape | 16 | 27 | 68.8% | 33 |
| Robbery | 153 | 173 | 13.1% | 265 |
| Aggravated Assault | 151 | 185 | 22.5% | 266 |
| Burglary | 536 | 578 | 7.8% | 805 |
| Larceny | 3,724 | 4,157 | 11.6% | 4,468 |
| Auto Theft | 733 | 772 | 5.3% | 887 |
| Total | 5,317 | 5,895 | 10.9% | 6,729 |
Police note that with a growing population and expanding retail industry, the opportunity for crime also increases. The per capita crime rate (or crimes per 1,000 residents) for 2001 was 44.4, compared with 41.5 in 2000 and 46.7 in 1999. Violent crime went up 19.8% last year, and property crime increased 10.3%, spurred by a 40% jump in theft of vehicle parts, which includes all things of value affixed to a vehicle (e.g., radios, hubcaps, city decals, and auto parts).
Says Police Chief Charles E. Samarra, “The Alexandria Police Department is committed to turning these numbers around, and we’re starting to see some improvement already this year. Officers are working specialized details to target street robberies, and burglaries appear to be on the way down following the recent arrests of a couple of residential burglars.”
Chief Samarra adds, “We appreciate the continued support of the City Council, City Manager’s Office, Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office, and our citizens and business people. As we deal with the challenges of terrorism and the national attention now upon our city, we won’t forget the basic needs and concerns of the people of Alexandria.”
Special note: The Alexandria Police Department also compiles crime statistics under the new Virginia standard, Incident-Based Reports (IBR). IBR statistics for 2000 and 2001 are available from the Public Information Office.
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