Fairfax County Police Department
Public Information Office
4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va. 22030
703-246-2253. TTY 703-204-2264. Fax 703-246-4253
FCPD-PIO@fairfaxcounty.gov
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police
News Release: Jun08/EJA
June 24, 2008

Police Department Wins National Award

            The Fairfax County Police Department is proud to be recognized by the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) Highway Safety Committee which announced the 2007-2008 National Law Enforcement Challenge Award winners at their mid-year meeting.  The FCPD was awarded first place in the overall category, for municipal agencies of 1251 or more (sworn officers). The department was also awarded the Occupant Protection Award in the Special Category Awards. Occupant protection includes enforcement and education regarding the proper use of both seat belts and child safety seats.

            Many multi-faceted efforts in enforcement and education were put into action. It begins with daily patrol activities as officers routinely enforce the law, but it is enhanced through specialized enforcement employed regularly to target specific issues and problem areas. Some of those programs include:

• Click it or Ticket (seat belt enforcement)
• Smooth Operator (targeting aggressive drivers)
• “Street Smart” (pedestrian safety)
• “Stop on Red Week” (red light enforcement)
• Safety by the Bus Load
• Operation Big Rig
• SOS - Start of School (School Zone speed enforcement)
• Saturation patrols focused in several parts of the county
• DWI Check Points
• Youth Alcohol Enforcement
• Business Compliance Checks / Shoulder Taps

 

            We remain focused on our three main traffic safety goals:

• To reduce fatal, injury and property damage crashes,
• To change unsafe and illegal driver behavior, and,
• To change all drivers expectations concerning traffic enforcement in Fairfax County.

            Overall crashes have gone down in a county encompassing nearly 400 square miles; a population of over one million; over 740,000 are licensed drivers with over 800,000 registered vehicles.

YEAR	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
PROPERTY DAMAGE	13,416	13,810	13,548	13,392	13,088	12,520
INJURY	5,430	5,198	5,111	4,913	4,906	4,598
FATAL	57	55	61	60	59	47

 

            According to the IACP, “The Law Enforcement Challenge is a competition between similar sizes and types of law enforcement agencies. It recognizes and rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in the United States. The areas of concentration include efforts to enforce laws and educate the public about occupant protection, impaired driving, and speeding. Departments submit an application (usually in a three ring or presentation binder) which documents their agency's efforts and effectiveness in these areas. The winning safety programs are those that combine officer training, public information and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries within its jurisdiction.”

            These awards are based on submissions made by the various police agencies. This year there were 560 total applications that were categorized and judged May 12-17, 2008 at IACP Headquarters in Alexandria by a panel of traffic safety professionals.