Yesterday, Colin Vedros of KALB aired a story regarding the Alexandria Police Department and a traffic fatality that occurred last Wednesday. In the segment, Mr. Vedros claimed to have reached out to the Alexandria Police Department (APD) for comment. To date, I am not aware of any such request made directly to APD. While a request may have been made to a mayoral assistant, such a request is not a request to the police department concerning a law enforcement matter.
I have personally reviewed the body camera footage of the officer’s interaction with the individual featured in KALB’s story. The officer acted with professionalism, compassion, and in full accordance with the law. He properly advised the individual of her Miranda rights, as required by law. Failure to do so would have constituted a violation of her constitutional rights. What I witnessed in my review of the body camera footage was a textbook example of appropriate, lawful police conduct. The officer treated this driver with professionalism, concern, and compassion while trying to calm her and put her at ease during the tragic event.
I stand firmly behind the actions of our officer and the values we uphold: accountability, professionalism, and duty. These values guide our actions every day, and I believe they were clearly demonstrated during this terrible incident.
What concerns me is the apparent lack of these same values in KALB’s reporting. Mr. Vedros’ portrayal of the situation was misleading and inflammatory. His approach was driven by his desire to create a story rather than by a genuine pursuit of truth or journalistic integrity. The term “fake news” has often been used in recent years—I now understand firsthand what that can mean when reporting prioritizes sensationalism and clicks over facts. This story was NEVER fact checked by Mr. Vedros.
Perhaps what is most troubling is that there is a family that was revictimized by this non-newsworthy story. This event happened last Wednesday and was covered not only statewide, but was picked up by the “national” news wire. Now, five days later, a mother and father are about to bury their 6-year-old child while they continue to have their seriously injured 12-year-old cared for in a hospital, and support their other family members who are dealing with a seriously injured child as well. All for a click on social media.
I urge the media to approach these matters with the seriousness and responsibility they deserve. The public deserves accurate information not non-factual narratives crafted for attention at the expense of truth.
