With its proximity to the nation's capital, Fairfax County has become part of the hub of activity centered on the Washington, D.C. area. Each day thousands of commuters travel through the county to and from their places of work in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas. The increase in the federal work force during and after World War II, as well as the continued growth of business and technology, have brought great affluence to Fairfax County. Once a rural, primarily agricultural community, today Fairfax County is a center for high technology firms and other businesses.

The evolution of the past sixty years has vastly changed the character of the County. There have been increases in population, housing, business, shopping centers and roadways. Where once a sheriff and a handful of deputies held sole responsibility for law enforcement, the largest local Police Department in the Commonwealth of Virginia now performs law enforcement functions, while the Sheriff's Office fulfills correctional and civil process functions. The establishment and growth of the police department were products of necessity in a period of such sweeping change.

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The Fairfax County Police Department came into existence July 1, 1940. Much of the credit for its establishment goes to the man who was the Fairfax County Sheriff, Eppa Kirby, a colorful character who never carried a gun. Overwhelmed with managing the county's inadequate jail and law enforcement duties, Sheriff Kirby persuaded the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to relieve him of his responsibilities for criminal police work by forming the Police Department. At the helm was Carl McIntosh, a deputy sheriff who became Fairfax County's first chief of police.

Chief McIntosh, five newly sworn police officers and two clerks became the County's first police department employees. Three of the new officers were assigned to patrol the county's roads, while another was appointed detective sergeant. With far-reaching insight into what would eventually become one of the Department's main areas of concern, Chief McIntosh appointed the fifth officer as traffic sergeant.

The new police chief had a tremendous job ahead of him as his fledgling department began to carry out its functions. Fairfax County was a relatively unpopulated jurisdiction in 1940, but McIntosh had only to look across the Potomac River and notice the influx of war workers to realize that with time his community would include a large percentage of the capital city's employees. As World War II progressed, Fairfax County's population multiplied beyond his expectation. This necessitated the continued expansion of the Department, and by the early 1950's the force had grown to sixty personnel.

Under Chief McIntosh's command, the Fairfax County Police took a hard stand against crime. The increased development and population brought greater opportunities for crime, but criminals found out quickly that the County's police force was serious about keeping Fairfax free of crime. The young police department was proud of this reputation, established early in its history.

In 1990, the Fairfax County Police Department's personnel complement surpassed 900 officers and 400 civilian support employees. These employees are assigned to seven district police stations, a headquarters, and several other facilities. The need for specialization, which has accompanied the Department's growth, has produced a number of operating units for such diverse disciplines as forensics, explosive ordnance disposal, helicopter support, traffic safety and computerized fingerprint analysis.

The primary goals of the Department have changed little in fifty years: to keep the residents of Fairfax County safe, to bring law breakers to justice, and to assist citizens wherever and whenever help is needed. What has changed is how the Department meets these goals. With added personnel and increased reliance on state-of-the-art technology, the Department always seeks to improve its service while maintaining the level of excellence and commitment Fairfax County residents have come to expect.

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Formed before the Revolutionary War, Fairfax County was home to many of America's earliest statesmen, including George Washington of Mount Vernon and George Mason of Gunston Hall. The county's rich history encompasses the entire existence of the United States.

During the past sixty years the level of growth in the nearly 400 square mile County of Fairfax has maintained a rapid pace. In little more than a single generation Fairfax County has been transformed from a rural community to a thriving center of activity for technology and government. Where once gravel roads intersected, highway interchanges now carry thousands of vehicles daily. In the past forty years alone the number of housing units in the County has increased by more than ten times to almost 350,000.

This increase has brought with it a number of requirements which have dictated law enforcement needs in the community. A rural population of 41,000 in 1940 has become a semi-urban population of almost 1,000,000. The associated traffic problem has become a source of great concern to the Police Department and to County residents alike. Changing demographics, increasing business activity, and accompanying affluence have produced different crime trends. All of these factors have combined to shape the Fairfax County Police Department as it is today.

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The same changes which brought about the establishment of the Department in 1940 continue to dictate the challenges it faces today. Fairfax County citizens, accustomed to excellent police service, have been supportive of the Department as it has expanded to meet greater needs. Each new stimulus and new challenge has caused a parallel response from the Department as it continues to provide increasing services to a growing and changing community.

Ensuring the safety of the hundreds of thousands of people who live and work in Fairfax County is an enormous responsibility and a monumental job. To stay in step with these challenges, the Department has responded in several key ways. It has grown in size, become more specialized and improved its training program. The Department also continuously submits to self-evaluation as well as to scrutiny by outside organizations in further improving the services it provides. One of the very first law enforcement agencies in the country to receive accreditation status, the Fairfax County Police Department maintains its quality and integrity through ongoing re-accreditation procedures, and has become a model by which other police departments evaluate their own levels of service.

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Whenever police assistance is needed, whether for a serious automobile accident or a suspicious noise, help is as close as the telephone. Patrol officers respond day and night in all types of weather to take theft reports, quell domestic disputes, return found bicycles, look for lost children, investigate accidents, or console family members upon notification of a death. The list is endless. At any given time, scores of police officers are patrolling the County, ready to be dispatched to a call for help.

Receiving these calls in 1940 was a single operator/dispatcher/clerk. The Department's earliest police cars were not even equipped with two-way radio transceivers; they had receivers only. The dispatcher could send an officer a request over the air, but the officer had no means of acknowledging it by radio. Officers sometimes stopped at the nearest telephone to let the dispatcher know they were on the way. When two-way radios eventually were put to use, they were cumbersome and unreliable by today's standards.

Today 911 calls and non-emergency requests for help are received by a highly skilled staff of communications personnel at the county's Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC. Modern radio and computer technology has greatly enhanced the speed with which patrol officers are dispatched. The DPSC bears more resemblance to a space mission control center than it does to Fairfax County's dispatch center of the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Call takers and dispatchers sit behind video displays which place valuable sources of information at their fingertips. Because Fairfax County uses an enhanced 911 emergency telephone system, a caller's telephone number and address automatically appear on a screen when an emergency call is received.

A technologically advanced computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system automates information processing. When a call is received in the DPSC, the call taker enters pertinent information into the computer. The system automatically verifies the validity of the address, assigns a priority to the call, identifies the patrol area of the event, affixes the date, time and case number, and relays the information to the appropriate dispatcher. The computer system also will display on a screen in map form the location of the event. The CAD system enables dispatchers to constantly monitor the status of each police officer on duty and makes recommendations as to which officer to send. The dispatcher can then choose to send that officer or override the recommendation and select a different course of action.

Once the appropriate officer has been selected, the dispatcher can send a message to that officer either by voice or by means of a mobile dataterminal (MDT) located in each police cruiser. The MDT, which looks and acts like a small computer, allows officers to receive and send messages to the DPSC like a video teletype. Officers also can access driver's license, vehicle tag, warrant and arrest information directly from their terminals, as well as communicate car to car and with the dispatcher. Not only does this system leave radio frequencies free for emergency transmissions, but also prevents eavesdropping on sensitive information by persons outside the Police Department.

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Despite the Department's growth and the application of sophisticated technology, patrol officers still represent the front line of police service. They are the backbone of the Police Department. Quality law enforcement begins with dedicated men and women who are mentally and physically prepared and properly trained for the task, and whose families understand the demands and the satisfactions of law enforcement. With over 1,200 officers, most of whom are assigned to patrol, the Department's strength is more than a hundred times that of the original five-member force of 1940. That strength combined with more than 500 civilian personnel makes it the largest local law enforcement agency in Virginia.

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Many citizens are not aware of the major contribution made by civilian employees to the operation of the police department. While most work behind the scenes, their services affect almost every aspect of the agency's operations and have far-reaching influence. Civilian employees make up a large portion of the DPSC staff, and in most cases it is civilians who answer 911 calls and dispatch police assistance.

These employees also play a major role in administrative and clerical support and maintain most of the Department's crucial computer network. Civilian involvement can be traced back to 1940, when two of the department's initial seven employees carried no badge or gun.

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From 1965 until 1985, Fairfax County police officers received instruction with those of other area law enforcement agencies at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. However, the greatly increased training needs of an expanding department necessitated the establishment of its own training facility. Opened July 1, 1985, the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy provides training to Fairfax County Police officers and Sheriff's deputies, and to Vienna and Herndon Town Police officers.

Today, before new police officers assume their patrol responsibilities, they undergo twenty two weeks of comprehensive training at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy. During this intense training program, new officers learn proper use of firearms, emergency vehicle operation techniques, and basic self defense. In the classroom, they master the complexities of criminal law, proper police procedure, and departmental rules and regulations. After graduation from the Criminal Justice Academy, the new recruits are assigned to ride with veteran officers until they are ready to handle things alone. Officers then maintain their proficiency as well as extend their knowledge and skills through continuous in-service training programs, and attendance by command-level personnel at prestigious schools such as the FBI National Academy.

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Maintaining the strength of the force is a formidable task. As veteran officers retire, they must be replaced with new recruits, a process which is the full-time responsibility of the Applicant Section. Because the Department is particular about the caliber of its police officers, it has established rigid physical, intellectual and moral standards. Applicant Section investigators conduct thorough background investigations of all candidates, disqualifying those who have had prior criminal involvement. In the early years aggressive recruiting was not nearly so necessary, but today the quest for superior candidates has led the Department to do a considerable amount of recruiting throughout the eastern seaboard.

Changes in society have produced similar changes in the hiring practices of the Department. While it was once an almost exclusively male agency, female police officers now enjoy the same hiring and promotional opportunities as do their male counterparts. Assigned primarily to dispatch and office responsibilities, women did not share the same status as men until the early 1970's. Twenty years later, about nine percent of Fairfax County's police officers are women. The Department was the first law enforcement agency in Virginia to promote a woman to the rank of major (the highest ranking female police officer in the state), illustrating its commitment to equal employment and advancement practices.

Similarly, the Department actively recruits and promotes minority candidates from all ethnic backgrounds. The influx of many foreign speaking persons into Fairfax County makes bilingual officers particularly valuable. The Department's first minority officer joined the force in 1967. By 1990 minority officers comprised more than ten percent of its strength.

Fairfax County police officers are afforded considerable career development opportunities, including a structured promotional ladder which allows qualified personnel to advance and specialize. All officers begin at the police officer level and are eligible for promotion to police officer first class after two years of service. At this point the promotional track divides into two directions. Officers desiring to progress to supervisory and administrative levels may be evaluated for promotion to sergeant, second lieutenant, lieutenant, captain, major and lieutenant colonel, and, potentially, appointment as chief of police. A master police officer level is available for personnel not aspiring to achieve command status. Master police officers are equivalent in pay to sergeants, but do not have supervisory responsibilities. This level was created to keep skilled police officers from leaving the Department because there was no further room for promotion, and to encourage highly trained and experienced personnel to remain in patrol and specialized positions. Significant enhancements to the police officer salary structure during the 1980's have greatly aided the Department in its competitive search to recruit and retain qualified personnel.

Police Department employees are recognized for their accomplishments through various internal and external awards programs. The most significant of these is the Public Safety Valor Awards program established by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce in 1979 with the endorsement of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. During its first ten years, more than ninety Police Department employees were recognized. Civic and community service organizations throughout the County also bestow honor on Department employees through frequent commendations, awards and gestures of appreciation. Within the agency, meritorious action and meritorious service awards are presented semi-annually to employees taking significant personal risks or making substantial contributions toward the Department's goals.

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More than fifty years after its establishment, the Police Department's personnel are stationed at eleven major facilities throughout the county. These include eight district police stations, a Headquarters and Annex, Criminal Justice Academy and the Pine Ridge Facility, which houses several specialized divisions. Other smaller facilities provide space for helicopter, firing range and K-9 personnel.

In 1940, the Department's first police station was located in the basement of the County office building, which stood on the grounds now occupied by the Fairfax County Juvenile Court. The small quarters, which had previously been a coal bin, were cleaned and renovated for use by the new force and was the County's only police station for eight years. In 1948, the Groveton Station was established to better serve the south end of the County. A Headquarters building was completed in 1961 near the original station and still serves as the Department's central administrative facility. During a thirteen year period beginning in 1963 the growth of the Department brought the establishment of stations in six other areas: McLean (1963), Annandale (1966), Chantilly (1970), Franconia (1973), West Springfield (1976) and Reston (1976).

During the 1970's and 1980's new facilities were constructed for most of these stations in tandem with governmental centers, which provide office space for County supervisors and finance offices. The Groveton, Annandale and Chantilly Stations eventually were renamed and became the Mount Vernon, Mason and Fair Oaks District Stations, respectively. In 1985, an unused school became the Pine Ridge Facility, and was renovated to provide space for the Public Safety Communications Center, the Criminal Justice Safety Academy and the Operations Support Bureau.

The 1990's saw continued transformation of the facilities for the Fairfax County Police Department. In 1992, Police Headquarters and the Criminal Investigations Bureau were moved to their current site, the Massey Building, and became part of the Fairfax County Public Safety Complex. The early 1990's also saw the opening of a new, state of the art driver training facility supporting the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy. In 1996, the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy was moved to a modern facility specifically renovated to provide the best possible law enforcement training environment.

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Often the first officer dispatched to a scene or complaint can handle it without assistance. But in many cases that officer's response to an incident is only the first step in what becomes a multi-faceted investigation. In cases of major crimes, the patrol officer's initial findings are turned over to skilled investigators in the Criminal Investigations Bureau. Within it are a number of specialized units assigned to deal with the various crimes the Bureau investigates. These include homicides, robberies, sex crimes, auto thefts, financial crimes, narcotics offenses and crimes against children.

Handling property crimes such as burglary, larceny and vandalism are criminal investigations sections which operate out of each of the seven district stations. These investigators work closely with the crime analyst at their station who keeps track of localized area crime statistics and identifies trends or patterns.

The Narcotics and Organized Crime Division is responsible for undercover operations to detect and apprehend those engaged in such illegal activities as drug distribution and major gambling operations. Arrests for drug offenses and seizures of illicit drugs increased markedly from 1985 through the end of the decade, reflecting the nationwide increase in the drug problem and the additional resources and expertise committed by the Department to combat this concern. Many major drug investigations are conducted cooperatively with federal, state and other law enforcement agencies, frequently through participation in task forces with specific enforcement objectives.

Investigators assigned to concentrate on property crimes, crimes against persons and narcotic violations all begin as patrol officers and must serve several years before being eligible for assignment to these specialized units. The initial experience gained as a patrol officer is fundamental to all forms of police work. It is during this period that a certain police instinct develops which is not only useful, but also necessary to further investigative disciplines.

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The careful collection and analysis of physical evidence taken at a crime scene can be an important building block in establishing a criminal case. This was as true in 1940 as it is today, but forensic technology has come a long way since then. To assist investigators in this area of police work Crime Scene Section officers are trained in a number of specialized techniques ranging from basic fingerprint processing to blood spatter examination and interpretation. Available at all times to respond to crime scenes, some of their skills include photography, specialized fingerprint collection and the collection of unusual forms of evidence such as footwear impressions and tire tracks. Their expert testimony during a trial can be a critical element in placing a defendant at the scene of a crime.

Over the past fifty years the growing criminal caseload has produced an ever-increasing volume of evidence that must be maintained. Cataloging and storing this evidence until it is used in court is the responsibility of the Property Section. An officer introducing evidence in a court case must be able to account for the whereabouts of that evidence continuously since its recovery, and be able to certify that only police personnel had access to it. For this reason the Property Section keeps extensive records on the thousands of pieces of evidence it stores. Officers and investigators who need to study the evidence must check it out when they need it and sign it back in when they are finished. This "chain of custody" guarantees that the evidence is not handled by unauthorized individuals and will appear in court exactly as it did when recovered.

The Property Section also attempts to return lost or stolen property to its rightful owner. If an owner cannot be identified, the property is returned to the finder, used by the Department or County, sold or destroyed. The Property Section also is responsible for the Department's inventory control system and distribution of supplies.

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Every tool available to the criminal investigator is valuable in solving a case, and one of the most useful is the Northern Virginia Regional Identification System (NOVARIS). This computerized fingerprint analysis system represents one of the most impressive technological advances ever made in law enforcement. Housed in Fairfax, NOVARIS is operated jointly by the Fairfax County Police Department and eight other Northern Virginia law enforcement agencies.

Until 1983, fingerprints recovered at a crime scene had to be manually compared with those of a known suspect. A magnifying glass and keen eyes were an investigator's only tools and the task was slow and laborious. NOVARIS utilizes a computer to scan fingerprints and compare them with all existing fingerprints of known offenders placed on file by the participating agencies. The computer can classify and compare fingerprints thousands of times faster than a technician, allowing the identification of criminals who otherwise might go undetected.

Composite pictures drawn by a police artist working with crime victims also are valuable tools utilized by investigators in identifying and apprehending criminals. This resource has been used since the formation of the Department, but today's police artist has more than a sketch pad and pencil at his disposal. The Department's artists now use a computer based suspect imaging system with an electronic "pad" and "pencil" to modify a suspect's picture on a computer screen easily and rapidly. By accessing files of various facial features from a data base and modifying them according to descriptions provided by victims and witnesses, a more accurate representation of the criminal suspect can be attained.

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While investigators are preparing a sound criminal case, the department's Victim Services Section helps victims and witnesses get ready to testify in court. Frequently victims have endured extreme mental, physical and emotional suffering and need constant reassurance and support as they proceed through the court processes. The Victim Services Section offers them crisis counseling, court escorts, support groups and victim compensation when it applies. It also prepares victims for what to expect when they testify in court. The Department's program, which was launched in 1986, currently has the largest number of staff members of any program of its kind in Virginia, many of whom are volunteers. Every year assistance is provided to hundreds of victims and witnesses.

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In the 1940's, the Fairfax County Police Department had three functional entities: Patrol Bureau, Detective Bureau and Traffic Section. Fifty years later these areas of operation still exist, but continued growth has brought about the evolution of more than twenty new divisions, sections, units and specialties which offer support services to the Department. These units provide specialized assistance in technical areas such as underwater operations, bomb disposal and K-9 handling, as well as administrative functions. The formation of these entities has been part of the Department's strategy for continually maintaining and improving police service to the community.

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One of the most frequently utilized support elements is the Central Records Section which is the repository for all reports taken by officers. Tens of thousands of case reports are cataloged and stored each year by Central Records Section personnel. These reports are available to officers and investigators and, in some cases, to citizens who need insurance verification in the event of a traffic accident, theft or burglary. The Central Records Section also maintains arrest records and warrant files.

Until computers became widely used, the Central Records Section maintained information in written form. Much of it was filed on 3" by 5" cards and was manually updated. In the early 1960's the Department was one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country to establish and operate an independent data processing section. Keypunch operators entered countless pieces of information into a computer system by means of data cards.

The Fairfax County Police Department now depends on sophisticated computer systems to store and access its vast data base. The Central Records Section interfaces closely with the Department's Information and Policy Services systems analysts who are constantly improving current information systems processing and developing new applications. The Information and Policy Services Bureau also utilizes management analysts to conduct extensive statistical studies on crime trends, traffic problems and police performance. The results and recommendations are crucial for both short and long range planning. Much of its effort contributes toward fine tuning the operation of the police department to achieve increased effectiveness and efficiency.

The administrative demands of operating the Police Department are divided among several entities, including the Technical Services, Internal Affairs, and Administrative Support Bureaus. These units handle everything from equipment procurement to personnel matters, and are involved in complex budgetary procedures which present an ongoing challenge. Fairfax County's first year of police service cost roughly $12,000. The Department's administrators now deal with yearly budgets some six thousand times that early figure. Despite budget increases reflecting inflation as well as the expanded size of the Department and scope of services it provides, Fairfax County has consistently spent less money per capita on police service than most other Northern Virginia or Washington Metropolitan area jurisdictions.

One of the largest tasks facing the Technical Services Bureau is equipping and maintaining the Department's fleet of vehicles. The Department's first officers patrolled the County in a handful of vehicles equipped solely with lights, sirens and radios. Today's fleet includes over 500 vehicles. Cruisers carry state-of-the-art computer and communications gear, roll bars, calibrated speedometers and protective barriers to safeguard officers during prisoner transports. Other specialized vehicles carry accident reconstruction tools, scuba diving gear or have armored plating. A full-time vehicle coordinator keeps these vehicles properly equipped and maintained.

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When a citizen finds a suspicious package, or a business or school receives a bomb threat, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Section is often dispatched. Staying up-to-date with the latest developments in explosive technology is this unit's specialty and responsibility. Its officers are tasked with safe detection and disposal of explosive devices. These officers frequently are called to make a determination as to whether an unknown item which has been found is explosive. If a device is located, they carefully and safely dispose of it. They also assist in the investigation of incidents where an explosion has occurred and use a trained dog to locate explosives when bomb threats have been made. To ensure the safety of these officers, a remote control robot is sometimes used to probe or defuse explosive devices. The robot is equipped with video camera "eyes" which can transmit visual images back to the officer at the controls.

About three percent of Fairfax County's nearly 400 square mile area is covered by water. Though this fraction is small, the Department still is concerned with providing police presence in these areas. In 1988, the Department established the Marine Patrol Section and launched its first vessel, a seventeen-foot boat equipped for law enforcement. During the warm months, the unit regularly patrols portions of the Potomac and Occoquan Rivers. The members of the unit are trained in lifesaving and boat handling. As they police the County's waterways, they enforce boating laws and educate boaters in the safe operation of their craft. The unit also is called upon to assist in boating accident investigations, water rescues and search and recovery operations.

The numerous lakes, ponds, rivers and streams in Fairfax County are convenient places for criminals to dispose of evidence. The Underwater Search and Recovery Team utilizes special skills and equipment to retrieve these articles while preserving their value as evidence. The team's expert divers are capable of diving in ice-covered water and in conditions of poor visibility. The unit also responds to locate victims of drowning or rescue persons who have fallen into the water.

On land, the K-9 Section frequently is called to assist in the search for a missing child, an elderly person, stolen property, evidence, or to track a fleeing criminal. The highly trained dogs and their skilled handlers are able to search large areas or buildings far more effectively and rapidly than officers alone. The use of these intelligent and loyal police dogs also reduces the officer's exposure to danger. K-9 officers and their partners work and live together and the bonds which develop between them are inseparable.

While the Department utilized several dogs for a time in the 1960's, the K-9 Section was formally established in 1972 with funds obtained from a federal grant awarded to the Department for the purpose of determining whether dogs could detect explosives. The information learned paved the way for the current K-9 explosive detection field, but the Department soon found the dogs even more useful in tracking, searching buildings and protecting officers. Their value indicated the need for more dog/handler teams and the section has steadily grown and now has its own trainers. The Department's K-9 Academy, which prepares each new dog and handler for active field service, is utilized by many other local law enforcement agencies and has earned a reputation for excellence.

The Tactical Section is called upon in situations where special entry, weapons or tactical skills are required. The officers who make up this section train constantly and refine these skills for instant readiness. They may use special night vision equipment on a stakeout of a burglary suspect or be required to rappel from a helicopter. Along with the specially trained officers of the Hostage Negotiation Unit, they are available to respond in hostage and barricade situations, are prepared to provide special security at large events in the County, and to assist investigators in serving warrants on dangerous drug dealers or other wanted felons.

The more than 400 parks in Fairfax County host thousands of visitors daily during peak periods, meaning that police services are frequently required. In 1968, a five man force of park rangers, working for the chief of police, was formed to patrol the growing park system, enforce a variety of regulations and assist visitors. To clarify their role as law enforcement officers, they became known as the Fairfax County Park Police in 1972. The ranks of this unit quickly doubled and for the next eleven years county citizens relied on these officers in green and tan uniforms for assistance. In 1983, a reorganization of the department did away with the Park Police force and its members were absorbed into the agency which assumed primary responsibility for police services in the parks. Today, police services in the Fairfax County parks are handled by patrol officers assigned to the area in which the park is located.

Coordinating resources in disaster situations, civil disturbances or other events where large numbers of police officers are required is a critically important responsibility. The Department's mobile communications center is equipped to handle such demands and provides a command post for those in charge. This dispatch center on wheels allows the advantage of stationing commanders and communications personnel at the scene of a major incident. It also can be used to back up the Public Safety Communications Center in the event of a major power failure or other disruption. With self-contained generators and radio equipment, the mobile communications center can maintain uninterrupted radio communications on all Fairfax County Police frequencies. The center also can communicate with adjacent jurisdictions when a disturbance crosses county lines. It also provides incident commanders a command post for conducting briefings and formulating plans to deal with emergency situations.

Coordinating countywide response to severe weather conditions and other emergencies is the responsibility of the Emergency Management Office. Housed in the Pine Ridge Facility, this section plans and executes functions that must be centralized during disasters. Its staff members work closely with weather services, local governments, the department's Traffic Division and Public Safety Communications Center to assure that the most current information is available. The office has access to the county's Cable Emergency Message System and can create and broadcast detailed emergency messages on the county government cable television channel.

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Aside from support divisions which cater to the operation of the agency, the Department also has resources geared toward assisting officers with various problems they face. The police profession offers a variety of opportunities and challenges, but with them come stresses and difficulties an officer may not expect. To help officers cope with these pressures the Department has several options available to provide counseling services. The Employee Assistance Program provides a variety of confidential services to employees and their families.

Police chaplains, all volunteers and members of the Institute of Industrial and Commercial Ministries, Inc., offer spiritual support, aid and comfort to officers and their families. These chaplains are also available to provide support to crime and accident victims and their relatives.

From time to time allegations of misconduct by police officers may originate from sources inside or outside the department. To evaluate fairly the legitimacy of a complaint against an officer, the Internal Affairs Bureau conducts an independent investigation and reports its results to the Chief of Police, who decides whether there is a need for disciplinary action. The Internal Affairs Bureau functions as a system of checks and balances which gives citizens recourse when they feel they have been wrongly treated, and protects the reputation and integrity of the officer and the Department when an allegation is false.

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Fairfax County's 2,500 miles of roadway are traveled by hundreds of thousands of persons each day. About three quarters of those working in the County drive to and from work in privately owned vehicles, giving Fairfax County the highest number of registered vehicles and licensed operators in Virginia. This, combined with many more commuters who travel through the County from adjacent areas, has created a volume of traffic which has become one of the primary concerns of the Police Department.

The orderly flow of traffic in Fairfax County, particularly during rush hours, is of paramount importance to the Department. Many of its resources are focused toward dealing with traffic and ensuring safety on County roadways.

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A vital role is played by the Traffic Information Center (TIC) which coordinates the Department's resources during hours of peak traffic activity. As commuter traffic begins to build each workday, a well prepared team of observers in the TIC keeps an eye on traffic patterns and potential trouble spots. From the Pine Ridge Facility, TIC officers direct the Department's fleet of patrol cars, motorcycles and helicopters in cooperation with the Public Safety Communications Center. This coordinated effort helps minimize the time required to clear accidents and respond to problems which delay traffic.

By carefully monitoring the traffic flow and incidents in the County, TIC team members can accurately advise dispatchers as to how to allocate resources. The TIC works closely with neighboring jurisdictions and with the Virginia Department of Transportation to respond to and minimize traffic snarls during rush hours. It has become a traffic management model for other areas across the country.

As far back as the Department's formation in 1940, motorcycles have played an important role in the effort to relieve traffic disruptions. Officers assigned to the Motor Section are one of the agency's best resources in alleviating traffic jams. The mobility of motorcycles enables them to maneuver through stalled traffic to reach accident scenes or disabled vehicles more quickly than patrol cars. Once they arrive at the scene they initiate prompt action to return traffic to its normal flow.

The Helicopter Division is another valuable resource in traffic management as well as in other areas of police service. A local businessman's gift of a helicopter in 1972 launched the Department into airborne service. Until 1975, when the initial program was terminated, the two-man helicopter was used to search for escaped prisoners from the District of Columbia's correctional complex at Lorton, locate stolen cars, assist in traffic control and support patrol officers.

By the early 1980's it had become clear that a new helicopter operation would greatly benefit the citizens of Fairfax County. After extensive research, the Department acquired two Bell Jet Ranger helicopters, applied what was learned from the earlier operation, and launched a new helicopter program. The division has grown since the acquisition of the original aircraft, and now uses Bell Long Ranger helicopters.

When a serious accident occurs, a helicopter may respond to the scene to assist in maintaining traffic flow by suggesting alternate routes around the accident and relaying this information to motorists through radio station traffic reporters. The helicopters also medevac critically injured accident victims and can communicate directly with emergency room doctors while en route to the hospital. The helicopters are equipped as advanced life support ambulances and carry a crew of three: a pilot, a paramedic flight officer and a flight nurse. These helicopters and their crews are on alert twenty-four hours a day.

Though medevac transports are the most widely known service performed by the division, police law enforcement missions actually make up a greater percentage of its flight time. Helicopters are equipped with night vision and infrared viewing gear for use in searching for lost people, burglars, robbers or other fleeing criminals. Helicopters often are called upon to support ground units and occasionally perform water rescues. Because of its excellent safety record and demonstrated success, the division has become a model for other law enforcement aviation programs across the country.

Most traffic accidents which occur in Fairfax County are investigated by patrol officers. But when an accident involving a fatality or serious injury takes place, the Accident Reconstruction Section responds. The officers assigned to this unit are highly trained in handling serious traffic accidents, and their investigations typically incorporate complex mathematical formulas, principles of physics, and the recovery of evidence unique to motor vehicle accidents.

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Improving the response to traffic snarling accidents and disabled vehicles is only part of the approach to the traffic problem. To work toward eliminating as many problems as possible before they occur, the Department maintains an aggressive prevention program consisting of enforcement and education.

All of the Department's patrol officers participate in traffic law enforcement throughout the County. Catching irresponsible or careless drivers before they cause an accident benefits everyone on the road. Radar is frequently used for speed enforcement in areas identified by citizens or officers as locations where speeding creates a safety hazard. The Department also participates regularly in various publicity campaigns targeting specific types of traffic violations, encouraging safety belt use and discouraging drunken driving.

Because of the rapid development of Fairfax County, large trucks carrying everything from tons of gravel to construction equipment are a frequent sight. Tractor-trailer traffic through the County also has increased significantly over the years. Unsafe operation of these vehicles and the damage they may cause to road surfaces is the concern of the Motor Carrier Safety Section. Officers assigned to it use portable scales to identify overweight trucks and are trained as truck safety inspectors. If safety violations are discovered, they may order vehicles out of service until the defects are corrected. The Department was the first local law enforcement agency in Virginia to receive legislative authorization to establish such a section.

Heading off a traffic jam before it happens isn't always easy to do, but when a special event poses an obvious traffic flow problem, appropriate measures are taken. At concerts, fairs, festivals or other crowd-drawing functions, patrol or motor officers are assigned to traffic control. Whenever possible the Department utilizes its auxiliary police officers for this task. These officers undergo almost as much training as regular police officers, but because they offer their services on a volunteer basis they provide a considerable savings to County taxpayers, as well as relieve patrol officers to handle assignments which only they can perform. Bringing to the Department a wide range of skills and diverse backgrounds, these dedicated volunteers also are trained to perform a variety of operational support and administrative duties.

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Because traffic presents an obvious danger to the children of the community, the Police Department takes special precautions to ensure their safety. School crossing guards, first utilized in the early 1950's, and student safety patrols assist thousands of Fairfax County students to and from their schools each day and contribute to the County's excellent safety record. If crossing guards are not available, patrol or auxiliary police officers are assigned to school crossings.

Once children have arrived safely at school, the Department's concern for their welfare continues in the educational environment. School Education Officers conduct traffic safety and crime prevention programs for students from preschool through high school age. To hold the attention of elementary school youngsters, a remote control robot is used during safety presentations. The robot is equipped with a color television monitor and video tape player and can deliver its message in different languages. In high schools, School Resource Officers emphasize safety messages directed at new drivers and encourage peer pressure to promote safe driving. Efforts to educate the public in safe driving continue into the adult population at fairs and community gatherings and special driving instruction classes for senior citizens.

As in most communities, some of the most tragic automobile accidents in Fairfax County occur due to disregard of a basic fact - alcohol and driving don't mix. Reducing the incidence of driving while intoxicated (DWI) is an ongoing commitment for the Department. It, too, is approached from both the enforcement and education perspectives. Officers are provided with portable breath alcohol testing devices which show a digital readout of an individual's blood alcohol concentration. This tool provides a source of valuable information to an officer deciding whether to make an arrest for DWI.

Fairfax County was the first jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan area to establish and maintain a full-time position to coordinate DWI education efforts. The Department's DWI coordinator works closely with area high schools and community groups to discourage drunk driving.

With a population nearing a million people, traffic and traffic accidents are problems in Fairfax County that simply must be accepted. Through education, enforcement and efforts to relieve congestion, the Department is committed to giving every driver the best chance of a safe trip with the least possible delay.

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As Fairfax County has grown since 1940, the cooperative relationship the Department has enjoyed with the public has become increasingly more valuable. Maintaining open communications with the public has been an important part of the agency's response to growth. The population of Fairfax County has brought about the need for specific programs to inform citizens and stimulate them to participate in safeguarding their communities.

The Public Information Office was established to ensure continuity, accuracy and timely dissemination of information about police activities to the public. This is accomplished by working closely with the news media in the release of information about current incidents and investigations. The Public Information Office responds to hundreds of specific inquiries from local, regional and national print and broadcast media representatives every week. It also prepares a variety of publications covering such varied topics as crime prevention, traffic safety, drug abuse and police service. These materials are distributed at no charge to County residents and are available at all seven police district stations. The County government channels on cable television also have become an increasingly important vehicle for the department to disseminate information to the public.

Cooperation with citizens has also been stimulated by the Crime Solvers program. Unsolved serious crimes are brought to the attention of the public through the news media, and citizens are encouraged to call Crime Solvers with any relevant information they may have. Callers may remain anonymous and are eligible for cash rewards if their information leads to arrest and indictment of a suspect. These cash rewards are contributed by area businesses and the amount of each is determined by a Crime Solvers board of directors comprised of community leaders. This program has been highly successful in the apprehension of fugitives, and in making arrests in murders, rapes, robberies and other criminal cases. Since its establishment in 1979, the Crime Solvers program also has resulted in the recovery of considerable stolen property and the seizure of large quantities of illegal drugs. An earlier program, Turn In A Pusher (TIP), had been initiated in 1970 with the support of local businesses when use and distribution of drugs began to increase in the County.

To foster prevention as the ultimate deterrent to crime, the Department's Crime Prevention Officers interface directly with citizens and community groups to equip and educate them in basic crime prevention. These officers work with the more than 750 Neighborhood Watch groups whose volunteer members patrol their own neighborhoods and report suspicious activity to police. The Neighborhood Watch program, which has been active for over ten years in Fairfax County, has greatly reduced crimes in residential communities. It has become one of the largest and most successful such programs in the country. The concept has been expanded to serve the business and school communities through programs called Business Watch and School Watch.

Crime Prevention Officers also work with the Department's law enforcement Explorer post. Affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, this group of young people between the ages of 14 and 21 assists at departmental functions such as crime prevention displays at shopping malls and fairs. The Explorer program gives these young men and women the chance to look into law enforcement as a future career while benefiting the Department through their voluntary efforts.

Because communication with the public must flow both ways, the Department encourages citizen feedback about police service. Seven Citizens' Advisory Committees serve as forums for citizen input in each of the police districts. These committees facilitate the exchange of information between the community and the Police Department. Additionally, representatives from each committee serve on the Citizens' Advisory Council, which brings the concerns of the district committees to the chief of police. Because cooperative, community-minded citizens are one of the department's best resources, individual citizens whose actions have benefited the Department are recognized through citizen appreciation awards presented by the Chief of Police.

As Fairfax County's population has grown so have its ethnic communities. Fostering good communication and cooperation with these citizens is another goal of the Department's community outreach program. Bilingual officers who involve themselves in these communities encourage the exchange of information across cultural boundaries. To augment the efforts of these officers, the Department also makes available some of its publications in foreign languages.

In the early 1990's, Neighborhood Patrol Units were established to address identified community/neighborhood crime and quality of life problems. Officers utilize bicycle and foot patrols in order to be in close contact with the citizens of the area. Neighborhood Patrol Units often arrange for personnel from other public assistance agencies to provide services for citizens in the community. Satellite police stations have been established in many areas as a place for citizens to access to a police facility and other public services and assistance in their own neighborhood.

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Throughout its first sixty years, the Fairfax County Police Department has been staying in step with the changing community it has served. The continued population growth of Fairfax County will undoubtedly bring continued challenges to the Department. As these needs are identified, the Department will face the tasks of maintaining the high quality of its personnel, providing them with the best possible training, facilities and equipment, and developing new and specialized programs to satisfy specific demands.

Thanks to the continuing support of Fairfax County's governing body, administration and citizens, its Police Department is considered one of the best in the United States, and its established reputation for quality and integrity precede whatever the future holds. Though much has changed during its fifty years and will continue to change in the decades ahead, the men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department pledge themselves to maintaining this tradition of excellence, thus continuing to earn the trust and pride of the people of Fairfax County.

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