The Commonwealth's Attorney 703-838-4100 is a constitutional officer, who is elected by the citizens of Alexandria to a four year term. The Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of all persons charged with the commission of criminal and traffic offenses that occur within the City limits in violation of state law or City Ordinances. The Commonwealth's Attorney serves as the chief prosecutor and also serves as legal advisor to the Sheriff and the Police Department with regard to criminal matters.

S. Randolph Sengel presently serves as Commonwealth's Attorney in Alexandria. He has been a prosecutor since 1979 and was first elected Commonwealth's Attorney in 1997. The office is composed of fourteen attorneys and is located in the Courthouse at 520 King Street, suite 301. Other programs within the office include civic association liaisons, a multi-jurisdictional drug prosecution program, which assigns an experienced assistant to prosecute higher level drug cases in federal court, and the Victim-Witness Assistance Program, which provides information, referral, and support services to crime victims and witnesses throughout the criminal justice process. Attorneys in the office participate in the Youth Policy Commission, the Economic Opportunities Commission, the City Wide Code Compliance Task Force, and the Domestic Violence Intervention Project.

Lawyers in the office are assigned cases according to substantive areas. (See, Prosecutors and their Assignments). Each prosecutor is on call as needed to work closely with police officers in developing cases for prosecution. If you would like a prosecutor to address your civic group or school class on an issue related to law enforcement, please call or email the office.

If you are a witness in a case and want to confirm the need for your appearance, see Case Updates & Announcements after 5:00 p.m. the day before the hearing.