Tag: crime
Cop school: the K9 corps
MPO Harford and Scout The K9 corps plays a key unit of the Fairfax County Police Department, tracking suspects, victims, evidence, and lost children, Master Police Officer Rob Harford told participants at a recent session of the Fairfax County Citizens’ Police Academy. Harford works with Scout, a black German Shepherd, who can track human odors … Continued
Cop school: the bomb unit
MPO Tom Eggers with the EOD unit’s robots. When a bomb threat was called in to Annandale High School and a suspicious package was left there March 30, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit brought its robots to investigate. X-rays conducted by the robots found the contents “completely innocuous,” says Master … Continued
Cop school: The SWAT team
Sgt. Reiff describes the SWAT team uniform If your neighborhood is swarming with police officers running around in heavy jumpsuits and helmets, chances are there’s a SWAT team operation in progress. They could be dealing with a barricade situation, home invasion, or some other type of tactical mission. The officers won’t have time to chat … Continued
Elderly people with memory loss targeted by home repair scammers
What do Gypsies, Irish Travelers, and woodchucks all have in common? They’re prowling the streets of Annandale looking for people they can rip off, especially elderly people with mental deterioration. Det. Ryan Young of the Mason Police District spoke at a recent Citizens Advisory Committee meeting about how these scammers are operating unscrupulous home improvement … Continued
Cop school: the Helicopter Division
You might have heard a big commotion in Lincolnia about a week ago. A drunk driver crashed an SUV into the gas pumps at the Sunoco station on Little River Turnpike and Beauregard Street and fled the scene. She was eventually located and arrested for hit-and-run among other charges. “Fairfax 1,” the Fairfax County Police … Continued
Cop school: Robberies take a huge toll on victims
The BB&T Bank on Backlick Road in Annandale was robbed twice in 2011 A chilling video from a check cashing store in Annandale a few months ago shows a man walking in on a Saturday morning and pulling out a handgun. He takes a customer and her child into the manager’s office. Two women clerks, … Continued
We remember Virginia Tech
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. On April 16, 2007, a student at the university in Blacksburg went on a shooting rampage, killing 32 people and wounding 25 others. Among the victims was Mary Read of Annandale, a 19-year-old freshman who graduated from Annandale High School in 2006. Friends and … Continued
Cop school: Gangs still pose a threat in FXCO
The following report about gangs in Fairfax County is based on a presentation by a police detective in the gang unit at the April 5 session of the Citizens Police Academy. The detective often works undercover so he prefers to remain anonymous. Gang graffiti in Fairfax County “The gang problem is not as bad as … Continued
Cop school: Probable cause, reasonable suspicion, and the use of force
The following report covers one of the presentations during the fifth week of the Spring 2012 session of the Fairfax County Citizens Police Academy, which took place at the West Springfield Police Station. Day Imagine a local resident sees a youth with a backpack and flashlight looking into cars in the middle of the night … Continued
Police address community concerns on assaults
Hill About 120 people came to a community meeting Monday evening at Robinson Secondary School to learn more about how the police are responding to two recent sexual assaults in Fairfax and how to avoid being a victim of a similar attack. Sgt. R.M. Thiel of the West Springfield Police Station outlined the basic facts … Continued
Uptick in burglaries reported in Mason
There has been an increase in residential burglaries throughout the Mason District in recent weeks, reports Brendan T. Murphy, crime prevention officer in the Mason District Police Station. “Most of them have been during the day, and items like electronics and jewelry seem to be the goodies of choice,” he says. The Police Department provides free … Continued
Apparent murder suicide under investigation
3800 Forest Grove Drive UPDATED March 28: Mason District police are investigating an apparent homicide/suicide that occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 27. The victims were identified as John Jackson, age 40, a former sergeant in the Fairfax County police force and, his 13-year-old daughter, Alexis Jackson, a student at Glasgow Middle … Continued
Cop school: The jail tour
The Adult Detention Center in Fairfax [No photos allowed inside.] The young women were sitting on the floor playing cards and laughing. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world. But they weren’t at a slumber party—they were doing time at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC). The field trip to … Continued
Cop school: Life on patrol
Kottemann Greg Kottemann wanted to be police officer since he was a child, and his enthusiasm for the job was clear, as he offered a close-up look at the life of a patrol officer during last week’s session of the Citizens Police Academy at the Mount Vernon District Police Station. Kottemann, a master police officer … Continued
Girl assaulted on the way home from Woodson High School
Police are investigating a report of a 16-year-old girl who was reportedly grabbed in the woods around 4 p.m., Monday, March 19, while walking home from Woodson High School. The girl had just entered a path at the end of Pickett Road when “a man approached her from behind, grabbed her neck, and assaulted her,” … Continued