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.