Attached are the crime statistics for April 2015.

24 Beat covers all of the North Arlington part of the 2nd District to include Clarendon, Courthouse, and Rosslyn. 48/49 Beat covers all of the South Arlington part of the 2nd District from Crystal City to the area around Oakridge/Gunston Schools up to 395.

** Based on some feedback this month’s report will have two comparison. In addition to the comparison with the 5-year average, we are also including a comparison with the previous year. We do believe that the 5-year average takes into account peaks and valley and probably gives a better statistical comparison to the crime statistics but for those that wanted the 1-year comparison, this month’s reports includes that comparison as well.

There are numerous ways to compare numbers and the intent of this report is not over or under estimate the frequency of reported crimes or to indicate that this is the only or the best way to compare numbers.

24 Beat

As the attach document indicates, the reported crime in the 24 Beat increase by 2% compared to the five (5) year average and decreased by 8% compared to last year. The average number of reported incidents in this geographic area during April over the last five years is 54 and we had 55 incidents reported this year. Statistically significant difference between what was reported over the last five years or for that matter from last year is the increase in number of shoplifting cases in this geographic area; the number reported this April was 17 compared to average of 10 over the last five years or the 7 that were reported last year. CVS in Rosslyn and Clarendon has been very active in addressing thefts from their stores and several shoplifting arrest have been made by our patrol officers.

We reported last month that we had an uptick in larcenies from offices and I believe I had sent out a flyer with a picture of a potential suspect. Though, the number of those types of larcenies were lower in April compared to the 5 year average of what we had previous year, we still have an individual(s) that are targeting officers. Please remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity right away to the Police.


48/49 Beat

The reported crime in the 48/49 Beat continue to decrease as they have in previous months in 2015. The reported crimes in this area decreased by 11% compared to the five (5) year average and by 21% compared to last year. The average number of incidents reported in this geographic area over the last five years in April is approximately 83 and we had 75 incidents reported this year.

The single most significant incident in this geographic for April was the homicide in the Aurora Highland neighborhood. On May 6th, with the assistance of our detectives, I had sent out an update to the investigation. I am including the same message below for those that might not have received the email.

This is an update related to the investigation into the murder of Ms. Bonnie Black that occurred in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood of Arlington County. Ms. Black was discovered deceased on Friday, April 17th at approximately 0750 AM after police were called to her home located in a 1101 South 18th Street. The police were summoned in response to a call from concerned neighbors who had observed her two small children wandering in the neighborhood without adult supervision. As was disclosed at the community meeting held on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, the Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Saturday, April 18th and determined the manner of death to be homicide, caused by stabbing. Upon the discovery of Ms. Black, the children were immediately placed into the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS), where they still remain. Child Protective Services continues to provide excellent services that are in the best interest of the children and CPS continues to communicate and work with the victim’s family and the children’s father.

In the two (2) weeks since this tragic event, the Homicide/Robbery detectives and the Crime Scene Unit investigators have executed search warrants at the addresses located at 1101 South 18th Street and 1109 South 21st Street. They conducted additional searches of people, places, and things; collected approximately 700 pieces of potential evidence and have taken approximately 3000 photographs to document the murder scene and potential items of evidence. Detectives have also conducted a canvass of the neighborhood on at least 10 different occasions, conducted numerous interviews and obtained many valuable statements from potential witnesses, as well as friends, family and acquaintances of the deceased.

The Police Department continues to devote significant resources into this extensive investigation, and will continue to do so, to ensure the perpetrator(s) of this heinous crime are identified and brought to justice. Detectives will continue to gather and methodically review information and evidence related to this case. While it is very unsettling to have such a tragic event occur in any neighborhood, we do not believe at this time, that there is reason for the community at large to be in fear. We regret we are unable to provide specific details at this time and we appreciate your continued understanding that the integrity of the investigation must be maintained. We would once again, like to thank the community for their continued support and their patience. If you have any information specifically related to this case you are asked to call Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477) or email us at investigations@arlingtonva.us.

As many of you have noticed and commented, the 2nd District Officers have increased their presence in the neighborhood and can be seen on bicycle patrol during the afternoon/evening hours.


Notable Arrest/Additional Information

· As a result of follow-up investigation from a theft from November 2014 in Rosslyn, warrants were obtained for an individual for credit card theft and grand larceny.
· A suspect in the motor vehicle fatality from December 2014 in Rosslyn was convicted and sentenced for 20 years for aggravated involuntary manslaughter plus an additional year for driving while intoxicated.
· A vehicle operated by a lone driver traveling at a high rate of speed across from Key Bridge and struck the curb ejecting the driver. The driver, unfortunately, succumbed to his wounds at the hospital.
· One of the individuals arrested for a burglary from August 2015 (Aurora Highland) pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate against his accomplice.
· Physical evidence submitted for a larceny from vehicle series from August 2014 returned against an individual in PG County jail. The individual was charged with larceny and the warrants were served on him.
· Several vehicles in the 2nd District along with the rest of the county have been targeted for tire and rim thefts. The cases in 2D have been along 1200 block of S. Eads Street. The department has had several resources in the Crystal City area in an attempt to capture those responsible for the thefts. Should you hear or see any unusual activity, please report the activity to us immediately.

Chief of Police

Today, the County Manager met with the command staff of the Police Department. In that meeting she announced that she has selected Jay Farr as our next Chief of Police. Chief Farr has been with the Police Department for approximately 25 years and was serving as the interim chief after Chief Scott retired. Chief Farr had been in the role of Deputy Chief of Police since June 2002. He has had a vast experience in the Police Department and also served as the Acting Deputy County Manager for approximately a year. The Police Department is looking forward to continue to move forward under his leadership.

One of the initiatives that we all believe in and Chief Farr is a very big proponent is civic engagement and transparency. In the very near future, we will be looking for opportunities for the community we serve to have a voice in the process to enhance the Police Department’s strategic vision. Based on our own experiences, we see things from our prism and the police department would like to take advantage of your perspective to further enhance the service we provide to our community. If you are interested, please contact me via email or phone. I cannot promise that everyone that expresses an interest will be included purely due to logistics but we are looking for representatives from residential/commercial/business/civic groups.

Community Facilities Study

In keeping with the theme of transparency; below is an excerpt for the County’s Media Office for an opportunity to take part in a study. Please read below and access the links provided for additional information and please participate in helping all of us keeping Arlington an outstanding community to live and work in.


Dear ELT and CommsGroup: We are asking for your help to publicize the Community Facilities Study (there is still plenty of time to learn and participate), and specifically, help us get the word out about the upcoming Open House. After all, this is about facilities, which affects all departments and our entire community!

Just two requests for you:

1. Community Facilities Study. The project is large and complex, but here are two documents that I want to draw your attention to because they present the information in a compact, understandable format. These would be great to share with your stakeholders.
a. Study Overview – a succinct one-pager that does a great job of summarizing the project at a glance.
b. Key Takeaways – these are monthly summaries of “what we’ve heard” at Study Committee meetings. They are available both on the web and in printer- or attachment-friendly PDF format.
2. June 2 Public Open House. Right now, this is what we’d really like you to help us push. This is an opportunity for folks to drop in at multiple times throughout the day, learn more, share feedback and ask questions.
a. Can you include this in an upcoming e-newsletter or email to stakeholders? Or send a separate email inviting folks to this open house?
b. Post to your website?
c. Mention in an upcoming meeting?
Watch for social media posts coming soon – retweet and share


Captain Kamran Afzal
Arlington County Police Department
Commander, 2nd District Police Team
703-228-4327; kafzal@arlingtonva.us
NA 247

2015_April_Part_1_and_Traffic_Comparison.pdf (205 Kb, 297 downloads) April Crime Statistics