Arlington Crime Falls For First Time Since 2018 In 2025 Police Report

ARLINGTON, VA — Reported crime in Arlington County fell in 2025 for the first time since 2018, driven largely by steep drops in property crimes, motor vehicle thefts and robberies, according to the Arlington County Police Department’s newly released annual report.

The department said Group A offenses, a major crime category tracked under FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, declined 10.9 percent from 2024 to 2025. Arlington reported 10,341 Group A offenses in 2025, down from 11,603 the year before.

The decline followed several years of increases. Group A offenses rose from 8,370 in 2021 to 9,859 in 2022, 10,450 in 2023 and 11,603 in 2024 before falling in 2025.”

Among the notable decreases, motor vehicle thefts dropped 48.6 percent, from 432 in 2024 to 222 in 2025. Robberies fell 28 percent, from 282 to 203. Larceny and theft offenses, the largest single property-crime category, declined 14.4 percent, from 4,416 to 3,782. Extortion and blackmail reports fell 47.2 percent, from 159 to 84.

Fraud offenses also declined, from 1,887 in 2024 to 1,780 in 2025, while burglary and breaking-and-entering reports fell from 194 to 181.



The largest drop came in crimes against property, which fell 14.9 percent, from 8,649 offenses in 2024 to 7,362 in 2025. Property crimes remain the most commonly reported criminal offenses in Arlington, police said.

Police said many property crimes in Arlington are reported after the fact, including through online reporting. Online reports accounted for about 42 percent of total reports taken in 2025, according to the department.

Crimes against persons were essentially flat, increasing 0.5 percent, from 2,296 offenses in 2024 to 2,308 in 2025. Police attributed the increase primarily to intimidation offenses, which rose 46.2 percent, from 132 in 2024 to 193 in 2025.

Intimidation offenses involve placing another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through threats or conduct, without displaying a weapon or carrying out a physical attack, according to the report. Police said the increase included more online reports of threats in writing.

Other person-crime categories moved in different directions. Aggravated assaults increased from 400 in 2024 to 422 in 2025. Simple assaults declined from 1,583 to 1,512. Forcible sex offenses fell from 122 to 117.

Arlington recorded one murder/non-negligent manslaughter offense in 2025, the same number as in 2024, and one negligent manslaughter offense.

Crimes against society rose 1.7 percent, from 658 in 2024 to 669 in 2025. Police said the increase was mainly tied to drug equipment violations, which are included in the broader drug and narcotic offense category. Drug and narcotic offenses increased from 484 to 498. Weapons law offenses remained unchanged at 114.

ACPD said officers seized 117 firearms in 2025, including four unserialized, or “ghost,” guns.

Group B adult arrests increased 20.3 percent, from 1,262 in 2024 to 1,518 in 2025. The biggest increase was in arrests for driving under the influence, which rose from 295 to 431. Trespassing arrests also increased, from 124 to 189, and disorderly conduct arrests rose from 632 to 667.

The department said Group B data does not include all arrests. Overall, 3,966 people were arrested in Arlington in 2025 and charged with 6,271 offenses.

Transportation safety remained a mixed picture in the report.

Arlington recorded 1,699 total crashes in 2025, down 16.5 percent from 2,035 in 2024. Pedestrian-involved crashes fell from 108 to 93, and alcohol-involved crashes declined from 145 to 132. Bicycle-involved crashes, however, increased from 37 to 53.

Injury crashes rose sharply, from 530 in 2024 to 697 in 2025. Fatal crashes increased from two to four, though police said none involved alcohol.

The department highlighted several fatal crash investigations, including a Jan. 27 crash on Wilson Boulevard, a May 3 crash near the Pentagon that killed two teenage passengers and a Dec. 15 single-vehicle crash on 24th Road S. Police said speed was a factor in the December crash.

Two Arlington police officers also were seriously injured while working on roadways in 2025. One officer was struck by a passing vehicle during a traffic stop in Crystal City in May. Another was injured in September when a vehicle struck a police cruiser on northbound I-395, according to the report.

Police said traffic enforcement increased in 2025. Officers issued 32,044 traffic citations and warnings, up 25.9 percent, and 100,336 parking citations and warnings, up 10.2 percent. DUI arrests increased 46.1 percent, according to Chief Andy Penn’s message in the report.

The department also expanded its PhotoSPEED school-zone camera program, adding 18 cameras in 2025 and bringing the countywide total to 28. The cameras issued 47,914 tickets and 8,190 warnings, according to the report.

Arlington’s red-light camera program, PhotoRED, had its first full year with all 20 cameras operating. The cameras recorded 50,443 tickets across more than 65.5 million vehicles.

Sharp Decline In Opioid-Related Incidents

The report also noted a sharp decline in opioid-related incidents. Total incidents involving opioids fell from 136 in 2024 to 80 in 2025. Total opioid overdoses fell from 53 to 29, and fatal opioid overdoses dropped from 10 to three. Juvenile opioid incidents fell to one, with no juvenile overdoses reported in 2025.

Staffing remained a major issue for the department, according to the report. Arlington County announced that the starting salary for police officers will increase to $90,012 on July 1, 2026, which the county described as the highest in the National Capital Region. The maximum starting salary for lateral officers will increase to $103,330.

The department said applications for police officer positions increased 42.9 percent in 2025 after it launched a new recruitment campaign and virtual career expos.

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The annual report also included internal affairs data. The Office of Professional Responsibility processed 186 personnel complaints and administrative investigations in 2025, down from 238 in 2024. Of those, 96 were internally generated, 74 were externally generated and 16 were complaint reviews.

Police said all 125 use-of-force incidents reviewed in 2025 were found to be within policy. The number of use-of-force incidents was unchanged from 2024 but higher than the 70 reported in 2021.

The department also reported 48 traffic collisions involving police personnel in 2025. Half were determined to be at-fault crashes by department personnel.

In a statement released with the report, Penn said the annual report reflects the department’s “continued commitment to building community trust through transparency, accountability and effective communication.”

The report covers the department’s crime, crash, staffing, community engagement, internal affairs and drone program data for 2025. Police noted that crime data submitted to Virginia State Police can change as investigations are updated or cases are reclassified.