Car thefts in Mason District way up during pandemic

A car theft captured by a surveillance camera.

If you think there have been more car thefts in the Annandale/Mason area, you’re right. 

Auto thefts in the area served by the Mason District Police Station have more than doubled during the period Jan. 1-Aug. 30, compared to 2019. There were 113 auto thefts during the first eight months of 2020, compared to an average of 49 during the past three years. 

Property crimes, in general, have increased throughout Fairfax County during the pandemic, Capt. Brooke Wright, commander of the Mason Police District, reported at a virtual community meeting Sept. 1.   

Larcenies, assaults are up

In Mason District, there were 284 incidents of larceny thefts from vehicles during the first eight months of 2020, compared to an annual average of 216 over the past three years. 

Burglaries and robberies also increased during the pandemic. According to Wright, residential burglaries are up slightly, but commercial burglaries are way up. Police are seeing a big increase in burglaries at doctors’ offices and pharmacies, and there was one incident involving “a man with no pants who broke into a spa.”

During the period Jan. 1-Aug. 30, there were 11 residential burglaries, 35 commercial burglaries, 14 burglaries of medical facilities, two at a church, and two at a school. 

Assaults and weapons incidents have also risen during the pandemic. There were 92 assault incidents during the first eight months of 2020, compared to 75 during the same period in 2019. The peak month for assaults was July in 2020 and May in 2019. 

There were eight weapons violations during the first eight months of 2020, compared to five during the same period in 2019. 

The police have seen a big upswing in mental crisis, Wright says. In Fairfax County, the police have received a 40 percent increase in calls related to people experiencing a mental crisis. There were 15 reports related to suicide in Mason District. 

Car thieves hard to catch

Car thefts are happening all over Fairfax County, not just Mason District, Wright says. Some of the thieves are from D.C., and some are local. 

“We are motivated to make arrests, but our officers can’t be everywhere,” she says. The cars usually don’t end up in chop shops. Most of the time, people are looking for unlocked keys, and they’re taking cash, laptops, firearms, or other valuables – or looking for a car to take on a joy ride.  

Homeowners’ videos on Ring and Nest show multiple suspects working together. If a car is locked, they quickly move on to the next one. These cases are difficult to solve because even if a theft is captured on video, it’s a grainy black and white and you can’t see the suspects clearly. 

“Call us when you see people jumping in and out of cars,” Wright says. [The non-emergency police number is 703-691-2131.]

This is happening in every neighborhood in the county, Wright says, but Mason District is easy to get to as its right off I-95 and the beltway. 

Morale is declining

“It’s a hard time to be a police officer now. Morale is a challenge,” Wright said. “We’re telling officers a majority of the community supports them.”

Aside from the nationwide attention on police tactics, a couple of new laws in Virginia are causing concerns to the police force. One law eliminates the mandatory minimum term for assault against a law enforcement officer. Before it was a felony; now it could be a misdemeanor. 

Another new law gives prosecutors more discretion. “Our officers are motivated,” Wright says. “If they investigate a case, they want to know it will be prosecuted.”