New Arlington police chief promises transparency, community engagement
Newly selected Arlington Police Chief Al Jones promised communities a “seat at the table” Tuesday during a virtual press conference.
City officials announced late Monday that Jones, the chief of Baltimore County police department’s community relations bureau, will serve as chief starting Jan. 11.
Jones told reporters Tuesday he will spend his first weeks in Arlington getting to know officers and getting to know communities across the city.
“They will have a seat at my table when making decisions about how they want to be policed,” he said.
Jones said he’d support an “inside out” approach to policing to ensure Arlington police are properly trained, evaluated and treated. He said he would also support building a more diverse workforce.
Asked about creating a citizens’ review board with power to subpoena the department, Jones said he would support any transparency effort that legislators approved; however, he advocated for a hybrid board that would review cases only after internal investigations concluded.
“I don’t think that giving them subpoena power is something that I feel comfortable with right off the bat,” he said.
Jones was selected for his experiences “implementing strong, community-based policing practices, his understanding of the future of policing, and his ability to lead our officers and community of nearly 400,000 residents in that direction,” according to a city press release. He was selected from 74 applicants after a months-long search to replace Will Johnson, who retired June 1.
Jones began his career in law enforcement in 1995 as a Baltimore County police officer. He has headed the department’s community relations bureau since 2018. The department serves around 835,000 residents.
During a panel with four other police chief finalists Oct. 29, Jones advocated for having “open, honest, courageous conversations” about implicit biases in the department, while watching for early warning signs of mistreatment of minority groups.
He reiterated that message Tuesday.
“You can’t have a real, true, trusting relation if you don’t have open and honest dialogue,” Jones said.
Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hartford and his master’s in criminal justice from Ashworth College. He has also received recognition the Baltimore County Branch of the NAACP and the Islamic Society of Baltimore for his service and advocacy for equal rights.
