The Alexandria Police Department (APD) reports no significant violent acts occurred during the Easter Weekend from Friday through Sunday at midnight, i.e. serious batteries, shootings, or other violence with dangerous instrumentalities. Tracking progress over the new Administration’s post-two-year mark, APD is pleased to report this important milestone since Easter weekends—unfortunately—are often marred with violence across the nation. Easter weekends see increases in violence, especially shootings and associated injuries. Alexandria has reported such violence in the past several Easters, and so this news is welcome and follows specific interventions.
The absence of violence this past weekend reflects the effectiveness of APD’s proactive strategy to combat crime and protect the community, by targeted resources through intelligence-led (hotspot) policing. If you saw “the police out and about,” it was an intentional presence. Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy, in his 100-Day Plan, prioritized public safety and outlined a comprehensive approach to reduce violent crime through intelligence-led policing with a dedicated appointed leadership team, now led by Chief Chad Gremillion, Commissioner Patrick VanDyke, and Deputy Chiefs Darrell Bradley and Chris Cooper.
“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our our officers seeing to that comprehensive plan and its implementation by every other division in the City Administration, along with increasing buy-in and cooperation of our community, we saw a peaceful Easter weekend,” said Police Chief Chad Gremillion. “Change is happening. We see lots of movement in a positive direction. Yes, we know and expect problems will occur, but it is about changing the trends and creating momentum for even bigger change.”
To work effectively, intelligence-led policing requires the community. Initiatives like SafeAlexincrease community engagement, and have proved to be impactful tools nationwide and including here at home in support of APD’s efforts. New programs and continued tweaks to SafeAlex—such as the City’s new Community Service Officers—coming on line will add additional resources and act as force multipliers for APD. Additional force multiplication occurs through the smart use of new and emerging technologies to track, prevent, identify, and catch criminal activity.
The city is also seeing a broader, encouraging trend: violent crime is on the decline. Year to date in 2023 (Mayor Roy’s first year), Alexandria recorded nine homicides. In 2024, during this same year-to-date, that number dropped to six. As of today, in 2025, the city has had three homicides.
“We are seeing the results of coordination, commitment, and community partnerships,” said Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy. “Public safety is not just a priority—it is a fundamental right of our residents, and we will continue working every day to enhance it. Our leadership team is actively engaged with our personnel, on the ground with our detectives and uniform division, making sure we see in real time what is needed to help them be successful. We are not going to have it said that any resource is lacking. We are supporting them with unprecedented investment in them personally, in their equipment, and in their mental well-being. And they are returning that investment with commitment to the task and strong adherence to aggressive constitutional policing.”
The Alexandria Police Department remains committed to proactively addressing violent crime and will continue fostering collaboration with community members, local organizations, and city leadership to build a safer Alexandria for all.
If anyone has any information about this incident or any other type of crime in the Alexandria area, please contact the Alexandria Police Detective Division at the phone number (318) 441-6416, or APD Dispatch (318) 441-6559. You may also email information to detectives at: APDDetectives@cityofalex.com.
For a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers of CenLa at (318) 443-7867. The Crime Stoppers P3 Tipster App can also be downloaded to leave tips and get a claim number for a cash reward at www.p3tips.com/community/mobile.
