Alexandria Police Department's 150th Anniversary Recognized

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Alexandria Police Department is celebrating its 150th anniversary on Wednesday. July 15, 1870 marked the day the department was authorized by Alexandria's Board of Alderman and Common Council.

Over 150 years, thousands of officers have served in the department. One watchman, one constable and sixteen police officers have died throughout the police department's history.

Originally headquartered at City Hall, it moved to 400 North Pitt Street in 1959, 2003 Mill Road in 1987 and its current headquarters at 3600 Wheeler Avenue in 2011.

The department's milestones include the establishment of technical crime scene investigative capabilities in the late 1920s, interoperability radio communications in the 1940s, community relations team in the 1960s and computer and 911 capabilities in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1959, it became one of the region's first police departments to have a canine team, and it was one of the first police departments in the U.S. to earn national accreditation in 1986. The police department was headquartered at several locations throughout the years; it has been at 3600 Wheeler Avenue since 2011.

Mayor Justin Wilson recognized the anniversary and shared a proclamation passed by City Council.

Alexandria Police are sharing photos from its 1500-year history throughout the day. A special anniversary badges was made for officers to wear throughout July; and another special badge is authorized throughout 2020.

In the aftermath of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody, Alexandria Police and law enforcement across the U.S. have faced calls for accountability and reform. Police Chief Michael Brown had spoken out against the officers' actions against Floyd and even showed up to a few protests. The police department recently published a Q&A page on its use of force policy and accountability measures.

An Alexandria police officer was recently dismissed and charged for what the department called an unjustified use-of-force incident in January. The officer, identified as Jonathan B. Griffin, used force to take a handcuffed white individual to the ground when taking the individual into protective custody for a health evaluation. Griffin faces a misdemeanor assault and battery charge.