New police unit will investigate threats

The Fairfax County Police Department’s Organized Crime and Intelligence Bureau has launched a new unit responsible for investigating active violence incidents, bomb threats, and coordination of emergency substantial risk orders (ESROs).

The Threat Assessment and Management Unit (TAM) will use a proactive, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and systematic approach to analyze, track, and prevent potential acts of targeted violence, Police Chief Kevin Davis announced Sept. 12.

It will also intervene in situations where individuals are at risk of committing violence.

There were 153 active violence threat events in Fairfax County between Jan. 1 and Sept. 11, the FCPD reports. That’s a big increase from 73 during the same period in 2022 and 26 in 2021.

During the same period, there were 77 ESROs in 2023, 47 in 2022, and 20 in 2021. Virginia’s ESRO law, also known as a “red flag law,” allows police departments to seek a court order to temporarily remove guns from individuals who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others.

During the period Jan. 1 to Sept. 11, there were 27 bomb threats in 2023, 29 in 2022, and 19 in 2021.

The TAM unit is comprised of officers and analysts trained in both law enforcement and intelligence analysis. It includes police officers and mental health and community services professionals from multiple organizations in Northern Virginia, as well as the FCPD.

“Partnerships with multidisciplinary partners are crucial, as the primary goal of this approach is to provide individuals with support services before the threat rises to a level requiring law enforcement intervention,” the FCPD states.

The goal is to interdict and deter subjects on the pathway to targeted violence. The TAM unit will conduct assessments based on an appraisal of observed (or reasonably observable) behavior to identify potentially dangerous or violent situations, investigate them, and ultimately mitigate them.

According to the police department, “The overall goal will be to ensure the safety of all involved, while respecting individual privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.”