Crime Up in Arlington, Alexandria
Rates Still Relatively Low Despite More Shoplifting And Vehicle Break-Ins; Chief Blames Economy

By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009

Crime in Arlington County and Alexandria went up last year, mostly due to more thieves shoplifting and breaking into cars. Criminals have been increasingly snatching Global Positioning System devices and other electronics they can easily grab from cars, police said.

Overall, crime in both places remains low, with each reporting four homicides.

In Arlington, crime increased 14 percent; in Alexandria, 2 percent.

Arlington Police Chief M. Douglas Scott attributed the jump to the recession.

"We have such a strain on the economy now," he said. "Some folks might think Northern Virginia is immune to these types of influences in our crime picture. We're not."

The number of vehicle break-ins in Arlington jumped from 742 in 2007 to 1,122 last year, a 51 percent increase. Shoplifting cases rose 57 percent, from 466 to 732.

Reported cases of rape fell from 26 to 23, and burglaries went down from 396 to 389.

Robberies increased by two, and aggravated assaults increased by six. Scott said those jumps were small.

"One is too many," he said. "But I would consider that a slight flux. You're going to have it every year, and it could have gone in either direction."

Homicides went up from two to four in Arlington, a county of about 200,000.

Victims included Matthew Hicks, 32, of Loudoun County, who was shot about midnight Dec. 7. He and a woman advertised an erotic service on the Internet, and after they went to the home of an Arlington man who answered the ad, Hicks was killed, police said.

Willie Donaldson, 35, was charged with murder. He told police he acted in self-defense because Hicks threatened to kill him if he didn't go to an ATM and give him money.

In another case, an armed man suspected of robbing a McLean bank led Fairfax County officers on a chase Dec. 10. It ended in Arlington when the man refused to drop his gun, and Fairfax police fatally shot Hailu Brook, 19, of McLean.

In Alexandria, which has a population of about 148,000, violent crime went down almost 6 percent. Homicide, robbery, assault and burglary all decreased last year, according to police data.

But larcenies went up almost 6 percent, driven by crimes such as thefts from cars. In 2008, there were 2,813 larceny cases, up from 2,663 the previous year. Police Chief David P. Baker said many of the break-ins happened when people did not lock their cars or left computers or other valuable items in plain view.

"The challenge for our citizens is that you can't become too complacent because you live in a safe city," Baker said. "You have to be careful to protect yourself and your property. If you don't, you could be a victim of crime."

The biggest jump last year was in the number of rape cases, which increased from 18 to 35. Baker called that troubling. He said most of the victims knew their assailants.

Homicides decreased from eight to four.

Cases included that of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Juantissa Hill, 24, who was found dead Dec. 2 in her apartment in the 300 block of South Van Dorn Street. Officers went to look for her after co-workers in the office of the chief of naval operations called police, concerned that she had not shown up for work. Rodney E. Smith, 31, was charged in her death with first-degree murder, forcible sodomy, robbery and grand larceny.

Alexandria's first homicide victim of 2008 was Hawlet Mohammed, 27, who was killed with a knife June 22. Her husband, Mesfin Hussin, 35, was charged in her slaying.

Despite last year's increases, crime is near historic lows in Arlington and Alexandria. Alexandria had the third-lowest rate in 40 years last year, and Arlington had the fourth-lowest.

"When you reach historic lows, the challenge is: What do you need to do to reduce crime even lower?" Baker said.