Tara May

Police Lieutenant: Director of Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Chief, Jun 2024 - present

• Implementation of modern policing initiatives within the agency
• Coordination with community stakeholders as a representative for the Chief of Police
• Serve as the department liaison to the Mayor and members of City Council

Police Lieutenant: Information Services Section Commander, Feb 2023 - June 2024

• Responsible for ensuring the operational efficiency and effective management of staff responsible for retention compliance of internal documents for criminal proceedings.
• Responsible for the collection of documents related to FOIA requests received for the police department. Complete the submission of documents within the state mandated time to ensure the departments compliance.
• Maintain a cohesive relationship with the City Attorney’s Office for requests and other inquiries pertaining to department policies.
• Oversee the reporting process within the department for compliance with the National Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
• Conduct preemployment background investigations at the request of other law enforcement agencies.
• Ensure the completion of court ordered expungements are completed within state mandated timelines.
• Supervision of the Telephone Reporting Unit to provide an expedited reporting for applicable criminal offenses for victims.
• Direct supervision of all civilian professional staff, to include supervisors, assigned to the section.

Police Lieutenant: Criminal Investigation Division, Technical Investigations Section Commander, Apr 2019 - Feb 2023

• Supervise sworn sergeants and investigators along with civilian staff assigned to the Crime Scene Investigation Section, the Electronic Investigations Unit, the Special Investigations Section, the Digital Forensics Lab, Latent Fingerprint Examiners, sworn and civilian polygraph examiners, and the Crime Analysis Unit.
• Ensure employees within these units work collaboratively to maintain the integrity and confidentiality during the investigative process of sensitive criminal investigations while serving the victims and community members fairly and without prejudice.
• Serve as the department liaison and sworn task force member with federal partners. Coordinate compliance and deployment as members of the FBI Violent Crimes Task force, U.S. Marshall’s Task Force, and Secret Service Task Force. Liaison with Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) for Crisis Negotiation and Crime Scene Investigation.
• Responsible for budget expenditures for the Technical Investigations Section, which exceeds 1 million dollars yearly.
• Implement and maintain polices to ensure compliance for department accreditation.
• Serve as department community association liaison.

Police Lieutenant: Patrol Operations, Mar 2015 - Apr 2019

• Shift Commander for Evening Patrol Shift
• Ensure adequate staffing requirements for safety of personnel and the community.
• Coordinate and implement training pertaining to tactical incidents and mental health incidents.
• Creation of evidence-based data reporting standards for all patrol officers.
• Creation of database to allow documentation of all interactions officers have with the public to provide data driven reporting and transparency reports for community members.

Police Sergeant: Patrol Operations, Mar 2011 - Jun 2012 and Jun 2015 - Mar 2015

• Directly supervise, guide, and lead Patrol squad of between six and eight officers.
• Respond to and manage serious public safety incidents and crime scenes.
• Assist officers during investigations and at crime scenes to ensure applicable regulations and procedures are followed.
• Conduct annual performance reviews, inspections, case audits, case management and documentation of results.
• Conduct internal investigations into employee misconduct.
• Coordination and execution of the Strategic Response System policing model through statistic research and communication with the Crime Analysis Unit.

Police Hostage Negotiation Team, Nov 2005 - May 2015; Commander 2016 - Present

• Team Commander responsible for collaboration with Special Operations Team Commander and Incident Commander to develop critical tactical objectives for the preservation of life and without prejudice.

• Develop and facilitate team training with neighboring jurisdictions to include federal partners.

• Maintain contacts with local, federal, and military personnel for additional team resources and training opportunities. Serve as liaison with FBI Washington Field Office Crisis Negotiation Team

• Ensure documentation is preserved for criminal proceedings and for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA)

Police Sergeant: School Resource Unit, Jun 2013 - Jun 2014

• Direct Management of School Resource Officer Unit / Crime Prevention Unit.
• Prepared and oversaw budget and expenditures, to include purchasing and overtime.
• Coordinated and maintained a schedule for sworn personnel to operationally meet the needs of the police department and the school system.
• Served as a liaison between the Alexandria Police Department and the Alexandria City Public Schools.
• Implemented response to active shooter incidents and implemented review of school lock down drill procedures between the police department and school system.
• Identified deficiencies; implemented or recommended remedial action and implementation of changes for policies and procedures.
• Responsible for collection and creation of unit proofs for Calea accreditation.

Police Sergeant: Community Oriented Police Section, Jul 2012 - Jun 2013

• Direct Management of Community Oriented Police Section.

• Developed strategic and evidence-based deployment strategies to community related issues and concerns.

• Applied advanced knowledge of the policing strategies based on coordination with the Center for Evidence Based Policing. Analysis of crime trends and statistics. Evaluated the effectiveness of police technique deployment.

• Developed and maintained relationships with members of the community that were cohesive and community focused. Created an inclusive approach to criminal activity

• Identified crime trends, developed operational plans, and provided community education. Coordinated with other city agencies, deployed internal unit resources, overtime expenditures, coordinated outreach to surrounding residential and business communities, and completed after action reports to document the success of the project.

Police Detective, Nov 2006 - Jul 2010

• Conducted comprehensive investigations and interviews for sensitive criminal investigations utilizing a full range of investigative skills to include the use of confidential informants.
• Prepared and executed search warrants based on evidence to support probable cause.
• Coordinated safe execution of warrants to ensure the safety of officers and private citizens were equally considered.
• Coordinated with other local, state, and federal agencies for related jurisdictional trends and prosecution.

Police Officer, Jul 2000 - Nov 2006 and Jul 2010 - Apr 2011

• Selected to attend a site visit with the Jacksonville Florida Sheriff’s Office to conduct an analytical analysis of our SRS model of deployment. Obtained valuable information and techniques, which were implemented within the department.
• Selected as one of only four officers assigned to a specific geographical location to combat historical and current crime trends which were identified through analytical and statistical research.
• Assisted with the development of a new patrol schedule which increased staffing training and provided a financial relief to the patrol operations budget expenditure.