Trust, Tenacity and Technology Help Nab a Previously Deported Felon

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: 09/093/2376/eja/(4)
April 23, 2009

Trust, Tenacity and Technology Help Nab a Previously Deported Felon

There are times in an investigation when things come together to help solve a crime. In this instance, trust, tenacity and technology merged to rid the community of a previously deported felon.

On Friday, April 3, officers from the Mason District Station were alerted to a disturbance in 6000 block of Bellview Drive in the Culmore area. A man who had testified in court earlier that day, called the lead detective in that case in a panic. The witness believed he was being followed by suspected gang members one wielding a machete. The witness trusted the detective to help protect him and he was right. The information was quickly relayed to Mason District patrol officers who tenaciously searched, found the suspect and chased him. The suspect, 26-year-old Leonel Ramirez, was caught in an apartment building in the 6000 block of Bellview Drive.

The officers suspected Ramirez was providing a false identity and turned to technology to uncover the truth. Officers used the Mobile Automated Fingerprint Identification System (Mobile AFIS) to uncover his true identity.

The Mobile AFIS is a portable machine that allows officers in the field to scan a suspect’s fingerprint and photograph and compare them to the fingerprints and pictures of people previously arrested.

Within seconds officers were alerted that Ramirez was a previously deported felon. He was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and charged with brandishing a machete and gang participation. He also faces federal charges for illegally returning to the United States after being deported.

The trust between a witness and detective coupled with a patrol officer’s tenacity and use of technology solved a case, and averted a gang assault from happening. More importantly, a previously deported felon was identified and removed from the community.

Leonel Ramirez Mobil AFIS