Arlington County saw a rise in total crime from 2022 to 2023, including a nearly 20% increase in drug-related crimes, according to the police department’s new annual report.
The county tallied 474 instances of the production, distribution or use of illegal narcotics in 2023, up from the 2022 total of 396. Those were the “primary driver” in an increased rate of “crimes against society,” according to the report.