Police, prosecutors are cracking down on felons with guns
The Fairfax County Police Department and Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney are collaborating on a new initiative to curb violent crime.
The goal is to build safer communities by taking a high-level, multi-pronged approach to crack down on felons who illegally possess firearms, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano at a Jan. 9 press briefing on Operation Press Check.
Anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia is prohibited from possessing a gun.
The police department will assign experienced, seasoned detectives from its Special Investigations Division to gun-related cases and have them partner with experienced prosecutors to ensure the best possible cases are presented in court, said Police Chief Kevin Davis.
The initiative will involve “a lot of data collection and coordination on the supply side,” said Descano. That will entail investigations to catch straw purchasers of guns: homemade, unregulated “ghost guns”; and guns with the serial number scratched off.
In 2023, murders in Fairfax County were down by 23 percent, said Davis. But there were still 17 homicides last year, the vast majority committed with firearms, and 80 felons in illegal possession of a firearm were arrested, he said. People who have guns are more likely to use them “when things spiral out of control.”
This year, Davis said more work will be done with forensics, interviews, technology follow-ups, and other means “in a laser-focused way on the front end” so when the case comes to the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, prosecutions will be successful.
Six detectives and four prosecutors will be assigned to Operation Press Check.
Naming this operation ‘press check’ is like naming an anti-drug campaign ‘toke kind’.
This press briefing and public relations effort is a sick twisted joke.
No one, especially the Felons in Possession (FIP) of illegal firearms believe that Steve Descano is going to allow his prosecutors to pursue these cases. Going in, the belief is that if arrested the FIP will plead out for a slap on the wrist, and a slap on the back as they walk out the jailhouse door.
What civilian, in their right mind, would knowingly provide information to Fairfax County Police to assist in this so-called initiative, if the impression they have is that after the FIP is arrested they will shortly be back on the street, and looking for the person who reported them to the police?
For better or worse, Steve Descano has a sterling reputation for loosely prosecuting crime in the dogged pursuit of social justice. And, the voters of Fairfax County reelected him for keeping his campaign promise to promote social justice.