Board of Supervisors - Chairman

To the Fairfax County Community,

This week, the Fairfax County Police Department released its 2019 Use of Force Report. While use of force incidents are rare in Fairfax County, about 45% of those subject to force are African American. This is troublesome because African Americans make up less than 10% of the population.

I also asked the Police Chief to provide a timeline to the Board for the release and publication of all FCPD police stops, to include traffic citations, traffic stops, and arrests, by police station and magisterial district, broken down by race, gender, and ethnicity of each individual in the data. We are glad we are one of the few Police Departments in the Commonwealth of Virginia to be as transparent with this data and our goal must be increased transparency moving forward. 

This data is troubling. I see that something needs to change. My office is reviewing the Use of Force police and we are fielding community comments and concerns through the Public Safety Committee. We are committed to taking the necessary steps to reduce disproportionate contact between persons of color and the police. That's why I asked the Board on Tuesday to approve a partnership with the My Brother's Keeper Initiative. That's why we always to listen to the community's needs to assess the best steps moving forward.

See below for the full June 25 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Today, Governor Northam announced that Virginia will be moving into Phase 3 of reopening on Wednesday, July 1. I am hopeful that we can move into Phase 3 with the rest of the state. While I am awaiting a formal report from our health directors on the data, preliminarily, our data continues to meet the necessary criteria. I’m glad that our regional health statistics continue to improve because of County and community efforts to test, trace, and practice responsible social distancing. I hope to provide this data to you in the coming days.

It's important to note however that this progress doesn’t mean we are without risk. All residents must continue to practice social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a mask.

We also passed some significant motions at today's Board meeting, including partnering with the My Brother's Keeper Initiative and the approval of Paid Family Leave for Fairfax County employees. More is detailed below.

See below for the full June 23 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Today, I had the privilege of hosting a round table discussion with Governor Ralph Northam and members of the Northern Virginia Latino community. Governor Northam’s regular COVID-19 press conference also took place at the Fairfax County Government Center. You can watch the full press conference here and see a photo below.

In addition, I asked the County Executive to commemorate Juneteenth as a Fairfax County holiday, keeping with the Governor's designation on the state level. Fairfax is committed to our shared values of diversity, inclusivity, and equity, and our holidays must reflect that. Those commitments require listening to diverse voices and acknowledging the common history of all Americans.

Fairfax County Government administrative offices will therefore be closed. Employees who staff essential 24-hour County operations and other essential services will work as scheduled, including public safety and trash collection.

Juneteenth commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States. In 1865, two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, word finally reached the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.

See below for the full June 18 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

• I announced my Taskforce on Equity & Opportunity. It will be guided by the community and will explore a range of situations and policies that contribute to disproportionate trends and simultaneously facilitate shared responsibility and collective action.
• The recommendations of the Taskforce will be presented to the Chairman through a preliminary report in December 2020 and final recommendations by the end of June 2021, with regular updates in the interim.
• The Board unanimously passed my motion directing staff to identify options to fund Phase 2 of the body-worn camera program.
• Phase 1 has been fully implemented. Fairfax currently has 416 cameras issued across the County, but the program hasn't yet reached the whole County.
• The motion also requests a timeline and implementation plan by June 30.
• I brought forward a statement approved by the entire Board about racial injustices occurring both nationally and here at home.

• All FCPD officers go through de-escalation, anti-bias, and use of force training.
• These measures were reviewed in 2015 by the County's Ad Hoc Police Practices and Review Commission.
• The 202 recommendations that came from this review can be found here.
• Knee holds and choke holds are not acceptable uses of force.
• The Board created the Police Civilian Review Panel and empowered it to review police investigations into allegations of "abuse of authority" or "serious misconduct".
• The Board also launched an Independent Police Auditor position who reviews certain police investigations into incidents involving the use of force or resulted in death or serious injury. They are currently working with a research partner to study racial disparities in use of force incidents.

• A downward trend of positive tests for over 14 days
• A downward trend of hospitalizations for over 14 days
• An increased capacity for testing
• Sufficient hospital beds and ICU capacity