APD: Our Story

Page updated on December 11, 2023 at 8:58 AM
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A black and white photo of men in police uniforms standing in a single line in front of a brick building

The Alexandria Police Department has a storied 150-year history as one of the oldest police departments in Virginia. After constables and night watchmen had protected Alexandria, Virginia, for nearly 100 years, the Alexandria Police Department was officially organized on July 15, 1870. When the city authorized a formal police department, the board of police elected a captain, a lieutenant, and 19 patrolmen. All officers were issued star-shaped tin badges, but they had to supply their own uniforms and guns.

The Department has seen a multitude of advancements over the years, with 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 Department has maintained its accreditation for more than 35 years.

Every single day, the 300+ officers of the Alexandria Police Department don their badge and exemplify the courage required of a law enforcement officer.

A sepia-tone photograph of four white man standing casually on a sidewalk. On the left, the man is leaning back against a telephone pole. To his right is a younger man standing slightly behind the groups and wearing a rounded policeman's hat/helmet. To the right of him is a tall man also wearing the rounded hat/helmet, and with a police badge on his jacket and a weapon in his hand. The fourth man is at the far right with his hands in his pockets and has a large moustache.
A sepia toned photograph of men in police uniforms in front of a brick building.
A black and white photo of a row of dark cars with POLICE written on the front of them in white letters, parked outside of a brick building.
A sepia-toned photograph of four men with a pile of metal canisters and tubs, with two men standing behind the equipment and two sitting on the pile. The photo appears to have been taken during the Prohibition.
A black and white photo of two men in police uniforms standing beside two officers seated on motorcycles beside a light sedan. All are looking at a piece of equipment on the hood of the sedan. The photo appears to have been taken in the 1970s.
Two men, one in a suit and one in a uniform, inspect the wreckage of an old-fashioned car. The car is on its side next to a railroad track, badly damaged, and the windshield is broken.
A black and white photo of three young white men in police uniforms. One is lounging against a desk, one is sitting, and the other is on the opposite side half-sitting on the desk and holding a phone receiver near his ear.
A black and white photo of seven men in police uniforms sitting on motorcycles, poised as though to drive toward the camera. On either side of the group of motorcycles is an old-fashioned car. In front of the car on the left are two more uniformed men, also facing the camera. In the background is a picket fence and an old-fashioned building.
A color photo of a parking lot with a collection of APD vehicles (from the top, clockwise): mobile command unit, small utility vehicle, sedan, SUV, box van in front of a dark red brick building
A color photo of a group of Alexandria police officers and a K9 officer on a stone patio in front of a pair of flagpoles. The group is comprised of officers representing a variety of roles in the Police Department.
An Alexandria Police car is parked with two men standing near it and the damaged Pentagon in the background
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A sepia-tone photograph of four white man standing casually on a sidewalk. On the left, the man is leaning back against a telephone pole. To his right is a younger man standing slightly behind the groups and wearing a rounded policeman's hat/helmet. To the right of him is a tall man also wearing the rounded hat/helmet, and with a police badge on his jacket and a weapon in his hand. The fourth man is at the far right with his hands in his pockets and has a large moustache.
A sepia toned photograph of men in police uniforms in front of a brick building.
A black and white photo of a row of dark cars with POLICE written on the front of them in white letters, parked outside of a brick building.
A sepia-toned photograph of four men with a pile of metal canisters and tubs, with two men standing behind the equipment and two sitting on the pile. The photo appears to have been taken during the Prohibition.
A black and white photo of two men in police uniforms standing beside two officers seated on motorcycles beside a light sedan. All are looking at a piece of equipment on the hood of the sedan. The photo appears to have been taken in the 1970s.
Two men, one in a suit and one in a uniform, inspect the wreckage of an old-fashioned car. The car is on its side next to a railroad track, badly damaged, and the windshield is broken.
A black and white photo of three young white men in police uniforms. One is lounging against a desk, one is sitting, and the other is on the opposite side half-sitting on the desk and holding a phone receiver near his ear.
A black and white photo of seven men in police uniforms sitting on motorcycles, poised as though to drive toward the camera. On either side of the group of motorcycles is an old-fashioned car. In front of the car on the left are two more uniformed men, also facing the camera. In the background is a picket fence and an old-fashioned building.
A color photo of a parking lot with a collection of APD vehicles (from the top, clockwise): mobile command unit, small utility vehicle, sedan, SUV, box van in front of a dark red brick building
A color photo of a group of Alexandria police officers and a K9 officer on a stone patio in front of a pair of flagpoles. The group is comprised of officers representing a variety of roles in the Police Department.
An Alexandria Police car is parked with two men standing near it and the damaged Pentagon in the background