A 43% uptick in arrests for intoxicated driving across Arlington last year likely was due, at least in part, to increased enforcement efforts.
“Our midnight [shift] folks really focused on driving while intoxicated to make sure that we’re keeping our roads safe,” Police Chief Andy Penn told Arlington County Civic Federation delegates on June 9.
A Virginia law going into effect on July 1 will seal the criminal records of many people convicted of low-level offenses.
The commonwealth’s “Clean Slate” law is expected to automatically seal over 100,000 criminal records of Virginians who were once convicted of misdemeanors such as shoplifting, trespassing and distributing marijuana, but who haven’t reoffended in the past seven years. This will make make housing providers and many employers unable to access such records via criminal background checks.
Crime in Arlington fell last year for the first time since 2018, with reported serious offenses down 10.9% — largely driven by a drop in property crimes ranging from larceny to motor vehicle theft.
The decline, detailed in the police department’s annual report published yesterday (Wednesday), reverses a yearslong climb. ARLnow flagged the drop in December using preliminary numbers.
An Arlington man is facing charges after police say he accidentally fired a shot into a neighboring home while cleaning his gun.
The incident happened just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 1100 block of S. Highland Street, just south of Columbia Pike.
Electronics and other personal items were reported stolen from numerous vehicles in Potomac Yard in a series of break-ins earlier this week.
The windows of 16 vehicles were damaged, with a suspect or suspects stealing tires off of three of the vehicles in addition to snatching belongings, according to the Arlington County Police Department.
A pair of open-house-style events held over the weekend provided local residents an up-close look at the inner workings of the commonwealth’s attorney’s office.
The two Interactive Data Walks on Local Prosecution and Diversion Programs aimed to demystify the work of the prosecutor’s office, Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti told ARLnow.
A drunk Maryland man allegedly fired a gunshot in a parking lot along S. Four Mile Run Drive early Sunday morning.
The incident happened around 3 a.m. on the 4000 block, which has a gas station and a self-storage facility. Police say they found evidence of a shot being fired and arrested the suspect on scene.
Arlington’s surge in property crime during and after the pandemic was the highest in the country by one measure, exceeding large increases in other urban areas.
Between 2020 and 2024, crimes against property — including larceny, vandalism and motor vehicle theft — increased by 60.5% in Arlington, home security company Vivint reported yesterday (Wednesday). The next-highest increase among studied localities was in Chicago (up 56.2%) followed by New York City (up 54.7%).
An Arlington probation officer warned a judge last year that a local man — now charged with attempted rape — was on the verge of a slippery slope of increasing violent crime.
Luzvin Orvando Garcia Moran, whose arrest has also caught the attention of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) because of his immigration status, remains in jail following a violent attack in Clarendon.
A man who attempted to rob a bank along Columbia Pike last year will spend nearly four years behind bars.
Steve Jamal Smith, 31, was sentenced Thursday to 46 months in federal prison over the Feb. 25, 2025, incident, in which he stole $711 from the Wells Fargo at 951 S. George Mason Drive.
A local restorative justice organization is approaching its fifth anniversary with a continued emphasis on expanding options for victims of crime and abuse in Arlington.
Restorative Arlington, a nonprofit that supports victims seeking justice and accountability outside the traditional criminal justice system, has been building its presence both inside and outside the courthouse. In addition to promoting diversion programs, the group has been working with survivors of abuse through a partnership with Doorways and running a pilot program that trains community leaders in restorative justice practices.
Arlington County police are investigating an armed robbery in the Barcroft neighborhood involving a group of teens.
It happened Thursday night on the 900 block of S. Buchanan Street, just north of Columbia Pike.
