<b>Suspicious Death</b>
Arlington County Police detectives are seeking information from the public in an investigation of the death of 34-year-old Juan Carlos Reyes-Guzman of Arlington. Reyes-Guzman was discovered injured and unconscious at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, in the 4500 block of South 31st Street. He subsequently died of his injuries.
Detectives would like to talk with anyone who saw Reyes-Guzman on Wednesday night or who has information about how Reyes-Guzman was injured. They would also like to talk to anyone who knew him.
Anyone with information about Juan Carlos Reyes-Guzman can call Arlington County Crime Solvers toll-free at 800-673-2777 or 703-522-TIPS (8477). If this incident is determined to be a crime, Crime Solvers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of a suspect. Callers to Crime Solvers remain anonymous and do not need to testify in court.
<b>New Alert Subscribers
Follow Reverse 911 Calls</b>
Arlington Alert, a public safety text messaging service, saw a nearly 20-fold increase in subscribers between Dec. 22 and Jan. 4 compared with the previous two-week period. About 800 people signed up versus only 40 new subscribers Dec. 8-21.
In response to the Federal government’s raising of the national terrorism alert on Dec. 21, Arlington County’s Office of Emergency Management on Dec. 22 began an automated Reverse 911 callout to all published Arlington phone numbers, encouraging those who live and work in the County to sign up for Arlington Alert. Launched in April 2003, Arlington’s system was one of the first in the Washington, D.C., region to be widely implemented.
Arlington Alert is, a free service that delivers immediate emergency text messages in English or Spanish to mobile devices, including cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and email. To sign up, visit www.arlingtonalert.com. Subscribers can choose which alerts they wish to receive.
Registrations last spiked during Hurricane Isabel last fall, when Arlington Alert was able to deliver important safety messages, including weather warnings and messages about the safety of county’s drinking water – even during power outages.
The addition of 800 subscribers brings the total to 6,208 – a 15 percent increase since the Reverse 911 calling began. The number of signups is expected to continue to grow as people return to work from the holidays and receive the message on their answering machines. Because calling hours were limited to 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and no calls were made on Christmas Day, it took about 14 days to complete more than 109,000 calls.
Arlington is in the process of acquiring an enhanced system that, in a crisis, could complete 200,000 calls in just a half hour.
<b>New Website Focuses on Walkable Community</b>
Arlington County’s WALKArlington program has launched a new website designed to get more people walking more often, especially around Arlington.
The site is one of the most comprehensive of its type for a local government, providing in-depth information on the many options available to walkers.
WALKArlington responds to the growing interest among residents, workers and visitors to make walking a more viable option for short trips around Arlington. It supports the growing number of people who walk to work or walk to reach transit, as well as residents and workers who enjoy walking for recreation or exercise.
WALKArlington.com features a mix of serious and fun information including:
* “Walkabouts” – guided walks around Arlington hosted by familiar faces who live and work in Arlington
* Links to County maps including hike/bike trails and the safest routes to schools
* Listings of area walking events
* Walking clubs in Arlington – plus a way to list existing clubs or start one
* A “HELP” directory for pedestrians – including how to get sidewalks installed
* An up-to-date list of all sidewalk closures—especially useful for people with disabilities
* The secret to decoding Arlington’s street naming system
* “Footnotes” – fun, informative quizzes and a free, downloadable screen saver
The Walkabouts section highlights a guided tour each month by someone who lives and/or works in Arlington. Sharon Percy Rockefeller’s December Walkabout featured the favorite eateries and pit stops of WETA staff in and around the Village of Shirlington and the Four Mile Run corridor. Other walkabouts include Tom Petty’s Clarendon Discovery Walk, Paul Ferguson’s Fairlington Kid and Dog Walk and Nancy Starnes’ Roll through Ballston.
A spring Walkabout, date to be announced, is planned by Arlington resident Adrian Cronauer, former U.S. Air Force sergeant and radio announcer on whose life the movie “Good Morning, Vietnam!” was based.
Residents and others interested in obtaining more information about WALKArlington can visit <a href="http://www.WALKArlington.com">www.WALKArlington.com</a> or call (703) 228-0072.