Violent crime in Arlington rose in 2020. Police think this program may prevent more
If your neighborhood has recently experienced a violent crime, you may be in for a visit from Arlington Police, as officials try to build relationships with communities around the city as part of a new initiative.
Police Chief Al Jones announced Tuesday that officers have begun knocking on doors and visiting with residents. The effort comes as the city reports a 4% rise in violent crime in its 2020 annual report. The individual visits, Jones said, could help residents better understand nearby police activity.
“Normally we actually do it backwards in policing,” Jones said. “We go out and we flood the area with our police officers, then we want to explain to residents why we’re doing something.”
The city reported 2,136 violent crimes — defined as rape, robbery, murder and aggravated assault — last year. Jones said in his first few weeks as chief in January, the department responded to several calls and developed the program, Operation Connect, as a response.
Violent crime accounted for less than a fifth of crimes reported by the city. Arlington’s amount of overall crime fell by more than 7% in 2020 and property crime fell by over 9%.
City officials appointed Jones in November as the next police chief based on his experience building relationships with communities in Baltimore County, where he was employed for 25 years before coming to Arlington.
Operation Connect is one of several efforts Jones discussed with Arlington City Council Tuesday afternoon, including gradually resuming community events and reviewing equity recommendations made by the city’s Unity Council.
