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HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009
In June 2009 The International Association of Chiefs of Police requested that Arlington County Police Department send officers to represent them during senate hearings on the Matthew Shephard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (HCPA).
Sergeant Kip Malcolm, Detective Crystal Nosal, and Officer Brynn Bennett attended, and were recognized in the official record of the hearing. The IACP and many law enforcement agencies supported this bill because the Hate Crimes Prevention Act would strengthen the ability of federal, state, local, and tribal governments to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.
Three officers attended the press conference for the passing of the bill in October. Senator Leahy is shown here with Sergeant Kip Malcolm, Office Brynn Bennett, and Officer Kevin Riley. Officers from ACPD were the only uniform law enforcement present at both the hearing and the press conference. The HCPA was signed into law by President Barrack Obama on October 28, 2009.
ARLINGTON COUNTY COLD CASE FILES
Although some cases are now more than 30 years old, the Arlington County Police Department’s Cold Case Unit detectives seek the public’s help to find the person or persons responsible for the following crimes. Detectives hope each case will someday be solved and the families of the victims will have some closure. Paul Zeller, a 24 year old Iraq war veteran, was murdered on June 30, 2006, while walking near the Pentagon Row shopping center. Click here to read an overview of each case.
ACPD VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
Arlington Detectives are also going online to help solve cases. Surveillance videos of suspects caught in the act are now posted on the popular internet site YouTube for everyone to see. This effort has produces leads in several cases including two bank robberies and an abduction. Now, click here to see if you recognize the burglar who cleaned out a dry cleaning store, or watch a police bait car nab a female thief before she can get away. More than 8,000 people have already seen it. And of course, if you see anyone you recognize in the videos, please call our Tip Line at 703-228-4242, or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
POLICE LAUNCH MYSPACE PAGE
There is now more than one way to reach the Arlington Police online. The Department now has its own page on MySpace.com. Officers are using it to communicate with young people, answer their questions and educate them about internet safety. The page went live on May 1 and now the ACPD has 345 "friends" and counting. Click here to see the page for yourself or read more about this initiative, a first for law enforcement in our area.
CRIME REPORT E-MAILS AND MAPS
There is an easy way to keep tabs on what's happening in your neighborhood. Every week, the Police Department distributes a summary of significant incidents by e-mail (Click here to see a sample). To subscribe, all you have to do is sign up online at http://www.arlingtonva.us/subscriptions/subscribe.htm. The incidents are also plotted on a map of the County. The map is in PDF form and is viewed by clicking on a link near the top of the Crime Reports E-mail. (see a sample). Please note that the incidents included in the weekly e-mails and accompanying maps are reported crimes and are subject to change upon investigation.
