The Fairfax County Police Department has formalized its guidelines for the agency’s in-car video program.
Some 650 police cruisers spread across FCPD’s eight stations are equipped with in-car video, which has proven to be valuable in reviewing what transpired at a traffic stop or crime scene, police spokesman Lucy Caldwell said.
The cameras were phased into most cars between 2013 and 2014, she added. FCPD is going to explore a pilot program with bodycams later this year, she added.
In Fairfax County, there are two cameras on the car: A forward-facing “dashcam” one that shows what is happening in front of the police car and a rear-facing one that shows what is happening if there are prisoners in the back seat. Officers also have a wireless microphone that is synched at the start of their shift.
Footage goes to a DVR mounted in the trunk.
Some of the new guidelines have to do with how long the footage is stored.
According to the department’s General Order 430.8, In-Car Video Program:
Video/audio recordings not required to support known investigations or litigations: retain for 30 days after recording, then delete.
Video/audio not falling into either of the above categories:
- Traffic Stops: 190 days
- Arrest: 190 days
- Use of Force: 1,100 days
- Pursuit: 190 days
- Transport: 100 days
- Investigation: 100 days
- Subject Stop: 100 days
- Test/training/other: 100 days
- Administrative Investigation: Indefinitely
Under the new guidelines, officers are required to activate the cameras at all traffic stops, vehicular pursuits, emergency situations when they are called as backup and prisoner transport.
Photo Courtesy of FCPD
A pedestrian at Fox Mill Shopping Center was injured in an attempted armed robbery and assault on Thursday, July 2, Fairfax County Police said.
Police said the victim was approached by two men while walking on the sidewalk at 1:07 a.m.
One of the suspects displayed a handgun and demanded money. The victim attempted to flee and was assaulted by the suspects. After a brief struggle, the suspects fled, police said.
The victim was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspects were described as two black males, one was wearing a hoodie and was about 5 feet 11 inches tall. Officers with the assistance from the police helicopter and K9 responded and checked the area for the suspects, but they were not located.
In other crime news:
LARCENIES
- 13100 block of Fox Hunt Lane, bicycle from residence
- 2000 block of Golf Course Drive, jewelry from residence
- 2200 block of Gunsmith Square, bicycle from vehicle
- 1500 block of Northgate Square, purse from vehicle
- 1800 block of Explorer Street, beverage from business
- 2300 block of Middle Creek Lane, property from residence
- 11500 block of Links Drive, phone from vehicle
- 10300 block of Shesue Street, property from residence
Fairfax County Police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints in the Reston District Friday and Saturday nights.
Occasional sobriety checkpoints are one way police deter drivers from drinking and driving. Police do not announce the exact location in advance.
Fairfax County Police also participate in a region-wide public awareness program, Checkpoint Strikeforce.
The Reston District includes all of Reston, as well as unincorporated Herndon, Oak Hill and Great Falls.
Fairfax County Police are looking for two suspects who robbed a man at knifepoint Monday afternoon near Reston Regional Library.
The victim told police he was walking on Bowman Towne Drive at Explorer Street at 1:28 p.m. when he was approached by two men.
One of the suspects displayed a knife and demanded property. The suspects took property and fled, police said. The victim was not injured.
The first suspect was described as a black male in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, average build, short hair, wearing a black shirt and black shorts. The second suspect was described as a black male, in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, braided shoulder length hair, wearing a tank top shirt, and red shorts.
A Reston man was arrested by Fairfax County Police Wednesday for having inappropriate contact with a minor at a nearby martial arts studio.
Han I. Tak, 30, was charged with taking indecent liberties with a minor, police said. Tak is an instructor at Fox Mill Tae Kwon Do in Herndon. He was charged for allegedly inappropriately touching a juvenile karate student.
FCPD is seeking more info on this case. Anyone with information is asked to please call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131 or contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637.
Two people walking on a sidewalk on Laurel Glade Court said a man flashed them Saturday afternoon, Fairfax County Police said.
The two victims were walking in the 12000 block of Laurel Glade Court around 5:41 p.m. when a man exposed himself then fled.
The suspect was described as white, in his 40s and about 6 feet 2 inches tall, 160 pounds, wearing a grey shirt, black shorts, black shoes, and glasses, police said.
In other crime news reported by the Reston District Station:
BURGLARY
2600 block of Logan Wood Drive, June 29. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
LARCENIES
12000 block of Greywing Square, property from residence.
2200 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise from business.
2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise from business.
11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business.
STOLEN VEHICLE
13000 block of Poener Place, 2000 Chrysler.
A Reston man was arrested on Tuesday after Fairfax County Police said he assaulted and robbed a person riding a bicycle.
The incident took place about 3:30 p.m. in the 12000 block of Greywing Square.
The suspect assaulted the victim, took property and fled, police said. The victim incurred non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers then located the suspect and arrested him. Police charged Jaime Villatoro, 21, of Reston, with robbery and drunk in public.
In other crime news from Reston District Station:
LARCENIES
2000 block of Cobblestone Lane, property from vehicle.
11400 block of Washington Plaza, property from business.
2300 block of Hunter Woods Plaza, merchandise from business.
Fairfax County Police said a black bear was spotted in the 1300 block of Trap Road in Vienna around 1 p.m. on Monday, but residents should not panic if they have a bear encounter.
The resident who snapped a picture of the bear close to a playground close to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (and just down the road from Reston) told police the bear posed no problems or issues. Police said this bear has likely “already moved through and not staying in the area.”
County Animal Control Officers and the Fairfax County Wildlife Management Specialist say it is not unusual to see black bears at this time of year and residents should not panic or feel alarmed when they see one.
From county animal control:
“Bears typically avoid humans, but in their search for food it is not uncommon to see one. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food.
“Unless the animal is sick or injured, or poses a threat to public safety, animal control officers do not take actions to attempt to remove bears from a neighborhood. Black bears have a natural fear of humans, and in most cases, would rather flee than encounter people.”
The Fairfax County Wildlife Management Specialist and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says residents should follow these tips to ensure bears stay away from homes:
The best way to encourage the bear not to return is to remove food sources.
Do not store household trash, or anything that smells like food, in vehicles, on porches or decks.
Keep your full or empty trash containers secured in a garage, shed or basement.
If you have a trash collection service, put your trash out the morning of the pickup, not the night before.
Take down your birdfeeder for 3-4 weeks after the bear visits.
Consider installing electric fencing, an inexpensive and extremely efficient proven deterrent to bears, around dumpsters, gardens, beehives, or other potential food sources.
If addressed quickly, this situation can be resolved almost immediately after you remove the food source. Sometimes, the bear may return searching for food, but after a few failed attempts to find it, will leave your property.
A Reston woman surprised a burglar in her home Friday night, Fairfax County Police said.
The woman said she was at her home in the 1500 block of Inlet Court, about 10 p.m. when she discovered a man in the basement. The then suspect fled, police said.
The suspect was described as black, about 6 feet tall, thin build, wearing a white short-sleeve T-shirt and dark-colored pants.
The woman was unharmed. Police did not say whether any items were stolen from the home.
On June 17, police caught a man suspected of breaking into an apartment in the 11600 block of Stoneview Square.
A resident called police about 11 p.m. after an unknown man walked into her home through an unlocked door, police said.
Officers then located the man and arrested him. Philip A. Anderson, 30, of Reston, was charged with trespassing and entering property to damage.
In other crime news from the Reston District Station:
LARCENIES
9900 block of Deerfield Pond, property from residence.
2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, phone from business.
11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business.
12100 block of Stirrup Road, bicycle from residence.
2200 block of Springwood Drive, property from business.
13100 block of Parcher Avenue, merchandise from business.
Fairfax County Police’s undercover narcotics unit made several arrests in a dramatic drug bust at North Point Village Center Thursday night.
According to witnesses, about six unmarked black SUVS and sedans surrounded a car with New York plates in the parking lot about 9:30 p.m.
A witness said undercover narcotics officers wearing balaclavas quickly surrounded the vehicle. The occupants, a man and a woman, were removed, placed in cuffs and frisked and squad members searched the vehicle, the witness said.
The suspects were taken away in a FCPD squad car.
Fairfax County Police confirmed that the narcotics unit did participate in an apprehension at North Point Thursday. Due to the undercover nature and the ongoing investigation, they will not give further details, said police spokesman Lucy Caldwell.
Caldwell did say that a “significant amount” of drug material was confiscated.”
“FCPD OCN works in an undercover capacity across Fairfax County and targets illegal drug activity and transactions as part of their core mission,” she said. “Often, these cases are not publicized due to continued investigation and active nature of these types of investigations.”
“In this case, there was a significant amount of drug material confiscated and taken off of the streets of Fairfax County; including marijuana, oxycontin and a variety of prescription drugs.”
Fairfax County Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating a suspect in a robbery that took place last Thursday at Woodland Park Crossing Shopping Center in unincorporated Herndon.
The robbery took place last Thursday about 3 p.m., when a woman was returning to her car in the underground parking garage after grocery shopping Harris Teeter.
The 47-year-old woman was approached by a man, who forced her into the passenger seat of her vehicle and threatened her with a knife. He demanded money and her phone. She handed it over and he fled, police said.
The suspect was described as Hispanic, around 50 years old, wavy hair and wearing a light blue shirt and light brown pants.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637).
A $100 to $1,000 cash reward will be paid for information that leads to an arrest.
As always, callers never have to give their names or appear in court.
Fairfax County Police are investigating a robbery in the 11900 block of Winterthur Lane in Reston last Thursday.
A man told police he was walking on Winterthur about 6 p.m. when he was approached by two men.
The suspects took the victim’s property by force then fled. No weapon was used and the victim did not required medical attention, police said.
The first suspect was described as black, 20s, about 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, and wearing T-shirt and dreadlocks. The second suspect was described as black, 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, 150 pounds and was wearing a purple, hooded sweatshirt.
A woman walking to her car at Woodland Park Crossing shopping center off of Sunrise Valley Drive told police she was held up at knifepoint Thursday afternoon.
Fairfax County Police said the woman was walking to her car in the center’s garage in the 12900 block of Highland Crossing Drive in unincorporated Herndon about 3 p.m.when she was approached by a man.
The suspect displayed a knife, demanded money and then told the victim to drive him to an ATM. The victim did not have a bank card with her. The suspect then took cash and property and fled on foot.
Police say the suspect is described as Hispanic, about 50 years of age, wavy hair, wearing a light blue shirt and light brown pants.
In other crime news reported by Fairfax County Police:
BURGLARY, 1400 block of Northgate Square, June 13. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
INDECENT EXPOSURE WITH APPREHENSION/ASSAULT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2500 block of Fallon Drive, Oak Hill, June 6, 5:22 p.m. A woman was in her home and saw a man standing in her backyard. The suspect exposed himself to the victim then fled. Officers located the suspect and attempted to take him into custody.
During the arrest, the suspect resisted and assaulted one of the officers. An officer deployed the conducted energy weapon and the suspect was arrested after a short foot pursuit. Neither the officers nor the suspect required medical attention.
Edgar Zelaya Ayala, 19, no fixed address, was charged with assault on trespassing, masturbating in a public place, assault on law enforcement and resisting arrest.
LARCENIES
13100 block of Parcher Avenue, beverage from business.
1500 block of Powells Tavern Place, property from school.
2700 block of West Ox Road, property from park.
Woodland Park Crossing/file photo
Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station are investigating two burglaries that took place in the last week.
The first incident was in the 9700 block of Leesburg Pike on last Friday. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
The second burglary was reported on Monday when a resident in the 1500 block of Cameron Crescent Drive reported someone entered the residence and took property.
Police did not say what was stolen or whether the doors to the homes were locked.
In other crime news this week:
LARCENIES
- 2100 block of Glen Course Lane, cash from vehicle.
- 1400 block of Lake Fairfax Drive, phone from park.
- 1800 block of Michael Faraday Court, cash from business.
- 2600 block of Quincy Adams Drive, merchandise from business.
- 12800 block of Bexhill Court, phone from school.
- 1800 block of Fountain Drive, property from business.
- 2400 block of Fox Mill Road, materials from construction site.
- 1200 block of Gilman Court, wallet from vehicle.
- 11600 block of Gilman Lane, purse from vehicle.
- 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise from business.
- 1800 block of Jonathan Way, phone from business.
- 1000 block of Preserve Court, property from vehicle.
Fairfax County Police are investigating a burglary and stolen vehicle that occurred early Thursday in North Reston.
Police said a resident in the 1600 block of Bennington Hollow Lane alerted them at 1:37 a.m. that her vehicle was missing.
Police investigated found a suspect entered the residence at night through an unlocked door and took the keys to the vehicle, as well as and other property.
The vehicle was later located in Herndon.
In other crime news this week:
LARCENIES
11600 block of Stoneview Square, phone from residence.
2900 block of Timberwood Way, beverages from residence.
11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, property from business.
