"The qualities of a good prosecutor are as elusive and as impossible to define as those which mark a gentleman. And those who need to be told would not understand it anyway. A sensitiveness to fair play and sportsmanship is perhaps the best protection against the abuse of power, and the citizen's safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, who seeks truth and not victims, who serves the law and not factional purposes, and who approaches his task with humility".  - Justice R. H. Jackson

Though written many years ago, these words of Justice Jackson embody ideals which I believe should govern my service as your Commonwealth's Attorney. Historically, the concerns of the criminal justice system have focused on the accused, while the needs of crime victims and witnesses received only minimal attention. Justice, however, belongs to all citizens, and I believe we have made great strides in recent years to relieve the inequity of this situation.

The successful prosecution of crime in Alexandria is impossible without the support, assistance and cooperation of our citizens. In our mutual endeavor to make Alexandria a safer place in which to live and work, I ask for your cooperation and assistance, and promise to do all I can to ensure that the ends of justice are served. Thank you.

- Bryan L. Porter, Commonwealth's Attorney

• Modified Hours: Our new permanent office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Commonwealth's Attorney Community Advisory Board Application
  The purpose of the Community Advisory Board is to provide the Commonwealth's Attorney with diverse community input and ideas regarding criminal justice reform and strategies for addressing criminal activity. The Board meets quarterly and comprises of 15-20 members who live or work in Alexandria. The board members serve for a term of one year and may serve multiple terms if inclined. Openings on the board will be filled as they arise. Citizens interested in serving may use the  online form to apply.  For more information, please email Sarayu Kulumani at sarayu.kulumani@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-4100. 
• Procedure for U-Visa and T-Visa Applications
• Commonwealth's Attorney Citizen's Academy

The Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney Citizen’s Academy provides information about the Victim-Witness Assistance Program, the law surrounding police-citizen encounters, and an in-depth look at how criminal offenses are prosecuted. Plans for the next session are under review at this time, for more information please contact sarayu.kulumani@alexandriava.gov

Mental Health Initiative

The goals of the Mental Health Initiative (MHI) are two-fold: (1) to avoid incarceration and/or convictions in those cases where the interest in community safety can be served by pre-trial services, mental health treatment, and probation monitoring; and (2) where the defendant is in custody, to identify, expedite, and expertly manage cases in which forensic services, such as competency and insanity evaluations, are required.

Alexandria Treatment Court (ATC)

The mission of the Alexandria Treatment Court (ATC) is to support individuals in achieving recovery and to thereby enhance public safety by reducing recidivism. ATC’s goals are achieved by providing treatment and ancillary services to offending citizens, utilizing a holistic and collaborative approach with the goal of participants becoming law-abiding, healthy, and productive members of the Alexandria community. ATC is a paradigm of City cooperation as a plethora of City agencies partner with OCA, to include, but not to be limited to: the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Alexandria Pre-trial Services and Local Probation (ACJS), the Office of the Public Defender, the Circuit Court, the Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), the Office of Probation & Parole (P&P), the Alexandria Police Department, and the City Manager’s Office.

The Commonwealth's Attorney serves as the chief prosecutor and also serves as legal advisor to the Sheriff and the Police Department with regard to criminal matters.

Bryan Porter presently serves as Commonwealth's Attorney in Alexandria. He has been a prosecutor since 2001 and began his first term as Commonwealth's Attorney in January 2014. The office is composed of fourteen attorneys and is located in the Courthouse at 520 King Street, suite 301. Other programs within the office include civic association liaisons, a multi-jurisdictional drug prosecution program, which assigns an experienced assistant to prosecute higher level drug cases in federal court, and the Victim-Witness Assistance Program, which provides information, referral, and support services to crime victims and witnesses throughout the criminal justice process. Attorneys in the office participate in the Youth Policy Commission, the Economic Opportunities Commission, the City Wide Code Compliance Task Force, and the Domestic Violence Intervention Project.

Lawyers in the office are assigned cases according to substantive areas. (See, Prosecutors and their Assignments). Each prosecutor is on call as needed to work closely with police officers in developing cases for prosecution. If you would like a prosecutor to address your civic group or school class on an issue related to law enforcement, please call or email the office.

If you are a witness in a case and want to confirm the need for your appearance, see Case Updates after 5:00 p.m. the day before the hearing.

From 495: Take Route 1 North (Exit 1) from the beltway (last exit before crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge or first exit coming from Maryland). Proceed north for seven blocks until making a right onto King Street. Follow King Street for five blocks to the Courthouse at 520 King Street. The Victim/Witness Program is located in the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney in Room 301.Underground parking is available under the courthouse at the rate of $10.00 per day. Metered parking is available around the Courthouse. There is also two hour residential parking one or more blocks from the Courthouse.

From 395: Take the King Street East (Exit 5). Continue on King Street into Old Town Alexandria. After crossing Patrick Street, proceed five blocks to the Courthouse at 520 King Street. See above for parking information.

Metro: The King Street Metro Station is located 1 mile west of the courthouse. For bus information, call Alexandria DASH 703-746-3274 or Metrobus at 202-637-2437.