police | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published May 17, 2018 at 8:45AM

Apple Eying Arlington, N. Va. — It’s not just Amazon — Apple is also looking to establish a large new office, potentially in Northern Virginia. Crystal City and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor are among the sites the world’s most valuable company is considering for a new campus that would bring 20,000 jobs to the area. [Washington Post, Washington Business Journal]

Flood Watch Today — A Flood Watch is in effect today, starting this afternoon and running through Friday night. Heavy rain — 3 to 5 inches — is expected through Friday evening. [Capital Weather Gang, Twitter]

News

Indivisible Apologizes Over Forum That Devolved into Chaos As Activists Demand Answers

By Alex Koma

Published May 16, 2018 at 2:55PM

Organizers with the group Indivisible Arlington are apologizing for how they handled a town hall meeting that devolved into a shouting match after pro-immigrant activists asked some tough questions of Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49).

The grassroots group convened a public forum at Arlington’s Central Library last Saturday (May 13) featuring several state lawmakers, but Indivisible organizers felt compelled to call it off earlier than expected, as activists with the group LaColectiVa aggressively pressed Lopez on his past consulting work for a private company that contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

News

Crime Report: Three Men Try, Fail to Snatch Woman’s Purse Near Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published May 16, 2018 at 1:45PM | Updated February 28, 2020 at 10:38AM

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Police say the group approached the woman, threw her to the ground and tried to take the purse, but she fought back and the suspects fled empty-handed.

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

News

UPDATED: Body Found Along Potomac

By ARLnow.com

Published May 15, 2018 at 8:10PM | Updated May 16, 2018 at 10:46AM

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Update at 10:45 a.m. — The body of a deceased adult male was found in the Potomac River near Daingerfield Island just before 6.30 p.m. last night, according to D.C. police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

“MPD Harbor Patrol units were dispatched to the area of Daingerfield Island on the Potomac River to assist in the search for an alleged missing person,” Sternbeck said. “Upon arrival, we were notified that an Arlington County Fire [water rescue unit] located a deceased adult male in the water. The District’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner recovered the individual and is working to correctly identify the decedent.”

News

Police: FBI Agent Helped Break Up Gas Station Towing Dispute That Led to Stabbing

By Alex Koma

Published May 15, 2018 at 1:45PM

Police have charged 33-year-old Arlington resident Norman Mitchell Brawner, Jr. with malicious wounding in connection with the brawl last Thursday (May 10) at the Exxon station near the intersection of 23rd Street S. and Route 1. Police believe a man confronted Brawner as he began to tow his car, then a fight broke out between the pair that resulted in Brawner stabbing the man.

While Arlington police initially reported only that a federal law enforcement officer witnessed the confrontation, spokeswoman Ashley Savage now tells ARLnow that an FBI agent at the station intervened when he saw the two men start fighting.

News

Arlington’s Crime Rate Falls Again, Though Alcohol-Related Incidents Increase

By Alex Koma

Published May 14, 2018 at 4:45PM

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Arlington’s crime rate fell for the sixth straight year in 2017, even as the county recorded some big jumps in alcohol-related misdemeanors, according to new police data.

The Arlington County Police Department released its annual report for the past year on Monday (May 14), showing that the county’s overall crime rate dropped by just over 7.7 percent in 2017.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2018 at 8:45AM | Updated May 14, 2018 at 9:08AM

‘Indivisible Arlington’ Event Wracked By Division — “A town hall with local Virginia lawmakers dissolved into chaos Saturday and police were called after Latino activists confronted Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington) about his previous consulting work for a private company that operates detention facilities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

H-B Victorious at Ultimate Tourney — The H-B Woodlawn girls ultimate frisbee team won the prestigious Amherst Ultimate Invitational over the weekend. [Twitter, Greenfield Recorder]

News

Police, County Leaders Pause to Remember Arlington’s Seven Fallen Officers

By Alex Koma

Published May 11, 2018 at 10:45AM

An Arlington County police officer presents a wreath.

Seven Arlington County police officers have died in the line of duty over the last 83 years, and county law enforcement and civic leaders took a few moments to remember their sacrifice Friday (May 11).

The county held its annual observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day at the Arlington County Justice Center Plaza (1425 N. Courthouse Road), inviting dozens of law enforcement officers and Arlington leaders to pay tribute to fallen officers across the country.

News

Towing Dispute Leads to Stabbing in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published May 10, 2018 at 5:00PM | Updated May 10, 2018 at 6:34PM

One person was stabbed and other is in police custody after a towing dispute in Crystal City led to violence Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. at the Exxon station near the intersection of 23rd Street S. and Route 1.

News

Arlington’s 911 Center Fields Thousands of Hang Ups

By ARLnow.com

Published May 10, 2018 at 9:50AM

About 37 times per day, on average, someone in Arlington calls 911 and then hangs up the phone.

It may not seem like such a big deal, but those calls come at a cost: of the dispatcher’s time — 3 minutes per call, more than an hour and a half a day — and sometimes the time of police officers who have to respond to a hang-up caller’s home to make sure they are okay.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 10, 2018 at 8:55AM

Homelessness Still Falling in Arlington — The annual count of homeless individuals in the region found that the homeless population in Arlington is continuing to fall. According to numbers from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, there were 221 people experiencing homelessness in Arlington during the count this year. That’s down from 232 last year and 479 in 2013, but up from 174 in 2016. [MWCOG]

ACPD Using Robocalls to Catch Serial Flasher — Arlington County Police are using automated phone calls to ask residents for tips about the man wanted for repeated indecent exposure incidents in the Rosslyn, Courthouse and Ft. Myer Heights areas. [WJLA]

News

Arlington Police Rolling Back Traffic Enforcement, Community Outreach in Restructuring Effort

By Alex Koma

Published May 9, 2018 at 3:45PM

Arlington County Police will soon spend less time handing out traffic tickets, investigating minor offenses and attending community events, as the department moves ahead with a major restructuring effort.

The department announced Tuesday that it plans to start re-allocating its resources on Sunday (May 13) in order to compensate for the county’s struggles in hiring enough officers.