Police target 7-Eleven in Culmore

The Mason Police District is cracking down on public drinking, drug abuse, and shoplifting at the 7-Eleven in Culmore, said station commander Maj. Erin Weeks.

The police will be meeting with 7-Eleven officials to strengthen security and ban trespassing at the store at 3337 Glen Carlyn Drive. “I think 7-Eleven is going to take a zero-tolerance policy,” Weeks said at a Community Advisory Committee meeting June 4.

“Kids should not have to walk through a group of individuals up to no good,” she said.

Weeks cited Culmore as one of the three crime hotspots in Mason District, along with the Build America Plaza in the Skyline area and Fairmont Gardens in Annandale.

Capt. Jim Curry, the assistant commander of the Mason Police District, is leading the Fairfax County Police Department’s three-month 2024 Summer Crime Prevention Initiative countywide. The initiative focuses on a different crime issue and patrol coordination model each month.

In June, police are targeting reckless street takeovers. “Officers will monitor known hotspots countywide and take action against reckless driving, speeding, and illegal car modifications to ensure our roads remain safe for everyone,” the FCPD announced on June 4.

Related story: Another arrest in the ‘street takeover’ event

The initiative will focus on increasing foot patrols at late-night establishments in July and, in August, will strengthen relationships with community partners and businesses to create better long-term crime-prevention solutions.

The biggest problem in Mason is shoplifting, Curry says. He is planning a retail summit to bring together the retailers with the most thefts, including the Safeway and CVS in Annandale and the Home Depot and Target in Seven Corners.

Curry is already working with the Fairfax County Department of Code Compliance to respond to complaints about late-night bars in Bailey’s Crossroads. On Saturday, police accompanied code compliance inspectors to 12 bars on Seminary Road and the Skyline area to address violations involving loud music, serving alcohol without food, and other issues.

Also at the CAC meeting, Francisco Klockner, youth violence and gang prevention coordinator, said he spends a lot of time at Fairmont Gardens helping young people get out of gangs and prevent them from getting involved in drugs and other crimes.

Youths in gangs are at greater risk for substance abuse, mental health, and becoming crime victims, Klockner says. And if they are sent to the juvenile detention center, they are likely to return to crime when released.

Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club President Juanita Ballenger presented the CAC with a check for $500. The funds come from the $167,000 the Rotary Club raised from its 2023 classic Mustang raffle.