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Crime and Safety Trends in Alexandria, Virginia
New home seekers often find themselves immediately wrapped up in the aesthetics and financing of a new house, so much so that they don’t pay much attention to the crime and safety stats of their chosen city. This doesn’t sound reasonable, but it's true more often than not.
To leave this important research out of the overall home search doesn’t make sense, because finances and home appearance are both heavily affected by the local community’s health and security. This is also true when moving to Alexandria, Virginia.
Thankfully, you likely won’t see the repetition of devastating news headlines from other major cities coming out of Alexandria. But the lack of violent news reports isn’t a reason to avoid taking a closer look at the neighborhood you’re considering moving into. Just like every other city, there’s good and bad nuances to each neighborhood and street.
Check Out MilitaryByOwner’s Alexandria Guide For Newcomers
Here’s what you need to know about the crime and safety trends in Alexandria.
Alexandria Ranks #2 as Safest City in the U.S. for 2019
Let’s start with exceptional news. Within the context of 200 cities in America with similar size and demographics, Alexandria was ranked in 2019 as the 2nd Safest City in the United States according to research conducted by SmartAsset. The company combined stats from major categories such as: violent and property crime, traffic deaths, air quality, and the drinking and drug habits of residents.
Top stats include:
- 4th in traffic death rate per 100,000.
- Among the top 20 cities for the least amount of violent and property crime.
- The FBI's 2017 Uniform Crime Reporting Database notes the violent crime rate at 166 per 100,000 residents.
Alexandria Ranks #27 of Virginia's Safest Cities
According to Safewise, Virginia in its entirety is a very safe place to call home. The state rests far below national crime rates, reporting in 2017 that there were 3.14 violent crime incidents per 1,000. The national rate is 4.49 per 1,000.
Alexandria’s reported crime numbers in 2019:
- Population 158,256
- Violent Crime per 1,000 is 1.66
- Property Crime per 1,000 is 15.68
4 Quick Tips for Your New Neighborhood Search
Crime Reports from the City of Alexandria and Alexandria, Fairfax County
Because Alexandria has two separate governments which enforce laws and report crime stats differently, it's important to be aware of how they each map and communicate to their residents crime and safety facts. For those moving to Alexandria, become familiar with the difference in locations and search accordingly.
City of Alexandria
The Alexandria Police Department consists of 320 sworn and 138 civilian employees. Among the sworn officers, most have positions within The Field Operations Bureau, which is the most recognizable force the community sees, responding to reports of general crimes, public traffic enforcement, emergencies, and more.
This police department uses the mapping agent, CommunityCrimeMap.com, to make available the city’s crime data to the public. Those who investigate will find crime instances that were submitted by the police department (and later to the State of Virginia, and potentially the FBI’s databases) related to a large area, such as a region or as small as a neighborhood block.
Alexandria, Fairfax County
The Fairfax County Police Department is one of the largest departments in the country and boasts that it ranks as one of the safest jurisdictions for its size among the top 50 major cities. The county police serve many cities surrounding Alexandria, so it's helpful to know which districts serve which neighborhoods or sections of Alexandria.
The Mount Vernon Police District
Size: Approximately 26 square miles
Area: Richmond Highway Corridor from City of Alexandria on the north to Fort Belvoir in the south
Serves: Mount Vernon Estate and Garden, Woodlawn Plantation, Fort Hunt National Park, and Huntley Meadows Park.
The Mason Station
Size: Approximately 20 square miles
Area: Borders Arlington County and the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church to the east and the City of Fairfax to the west
Serves: Baileys Crossroads, Seven Corners, Skyline, Falls Church, Mason District Park, Annandale, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Landmark Plaza.
The Franconia District Station
Size: 51 square miles
Area: Annandale, Springfield, Lorton, Little River Turnpike south to Mason Neck and I-95 east to Telegraph Road
Serves: The I-95/I-495 interchange, Springfield Town Center, Kingstowne, Lorton, Gunston Hall Plantation, Pohick Bay Regional Park, Mason Neck State Park, Mason Neck National Wildlife Preserve, Lee District Park and Accotink Park.
To keep their residents involved and educated, the Fairfax County Police Department uses the crime mapping system, CrimeReports. There, the public can search by address or location to learn about the types of crime committed in their potential neighborhood.
It might not be your first concern to check the safety statistics of Alexandria before moving to the city or even as a current resident, but it's an angle of the home search not to be missed, not just for safety’s sake but for financial reasons such as resale value in the future.
Both parts of Alexandria are known for their high quality of life rankings, but each has their own set of neighborhoods and streets that are not as highly desired. By using one of the crime reporting systems that police departments endorse, you can easily stay up to date with the crime incidents occurring where you live or are searching for a home.
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