(Updated at 4 p.m.) Local police are searching for a suspect who may have been involved in a homicide in Reston.

A man was found killed shortly after 2 p.m. in the 23000 block of Branleigh Park Court, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The suspect likely left the area in a silver Nissan Rogue, according to FCPD.

Police stated that the incident was not a random act of violence.

Detectives are responding to a homicide that occurred shortly after 2 p.m. in the 2300 block of Branleigh Park Court in Reston. Suspect believed to have left the area in a silver Nissan Rogue. Updates to follow. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/Eq2sO0QzeG

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 10, 2021

Alcorn Plans Virtual Town Halls for Next Week — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn will host two town halls on Feb. 16 and 18. The first discussion is with Reston District Police Station commanders and the second is with Alcorn. [Fairfax County Government]

Body Worn Camera Program Expands in Fairfax County — Phase two of the program is complete as officers from the police department’s Franconia and McLean District Stations received training and are now fully equipped with the devices. [Fairfax County Police Department]

CVS in Annandale to Distribute Vaccine — CVS will offer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible 1a and 1b populations through a federal program. So far, the only participating location in Virginia is located at Little River Turnpike in Annandale. Supply is limited, but more locations will begin to offer the vaccine soon. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

Last week marked Interim Fairfax County Police Chief David M. Rohrer’s first days on the job.

Rohrer’s top priorities, according to Sergeant Hudson Bull of Fairfax County Police Department, will be providing a smooth transition to the next Police Chief and ensuring “community safety.”

Responding directly to the accusation of low morale and rank-and-file officers’ continued skepticism of leadership, Bull noted that the new chief is working to dispel this notion.

“Chief Rohrer wants to make sure that community members, county employees, and officers are confident in the leadership of the department,” wrote Bull to Reston Now. “[He’s] focused on listening to officers and moving the department forward… Chief Rohrer is thankful for officers’ dedication and professionalism during these challenging times.”

FCPD declined a phone interview with Rohrer, noting that Rohrer is focusing on “providing a smooth transition for the next Chief of Police.”

In January, the Fairfax County Police Department selected Rohrer to take over for the county’s retiring police chief Edwin C. Roessler. He had been on the job for nearly eight years.

This isn’t new territory for Rohrer. He was previously Fairfax County Police Department’s chief from 2004 to 2012, when he was promoted to deputy county executive overseeing public safety. At that position, he oversees the department which consists of about 1,400 police officers.

He will remain deputy county executive even as he takes on this new responsibility.

“I work closely with Deputy County Executive Rohrer on a daily basis and I could not be more confident in his ability to see the Police Department through this period while we search for a new chief,” Fairfax County Executive Bryan J. Hill wrote in a statement to the Washington Post late last month.

Rohrer’s personality and management style, in 2012, was described as deliberate, not “flamboyant,” and hard-working.

While his tenure may be brief, it comes at a time when the department is in the midst of significant change.

During his eight years on the job, Roessler implemented nearly 200 reform efforts including body-cams for all officers, a citizen review panel, de-escalation training, and diverting some from jail who were diagnosed as mentally ill. Much of this was done in the wake of the 2013 fatal police shooting of an unarmed Springfield man.

However, it has come at the expense of morale and rank-and-file officers being skeptical of the leadership’s push to change. This became particularly acute after an officer was arrested for assault over the summer for using a stun gun and unnecessary force on a Black man who did not appear to be combative.

All of this, at least for the time being, is now at Rohrer’s feet.

Responding to a series of questions about his goals, why he took the interim job, and the challenges facing him, FCPD spokesperson Sergeant Hudson Bull wrote that Rohrer is prioritizing continuing the county’s reputation as being safe.

“Chief Rohrer wants to focus on ensuring that our County remains one of the safest jurisdictions in the country by supporting our officers and remaining attentive to the needs of our community members,” he writes.

Rohrer’s experience and institutional knowledge made him a perfect fit for this temporary job as the search for a replacement continues, notes Bull.

“The Chief’s vast experience in public safety provides him with insight and knowledge to be able to make the best possible decisions regarding important public safety matters for our community,” Bull writes. “His long tenure with Fairfax County gives him intimate knowledge of the public safety function that is provided within our county government.”

A nationwide search is currently underway for FCPD’s next Police Chief. It’s expected that the department will announce their selection in late March or early April.

Bull writes the department says the community will provide integral insight into this decision.

“Fairfax County is seeking the best possible candidate for its next Chief of Police and will be using several means to accomplish that goal,” Bull says. “Most importantly, input from our community members will weigh heavily on our decision making process as the County moves forward in its search.”

Local Police Conduct Mock Travel Stops — The Fairfax County Police Department conducted mock traffic stops for drivers with disabilities. Police and community members came together to learn how to safely interact with one another during traffic stops. The goal was to ensure that drivers with disabilities are well-versed in what happens during traffic stops. [Local DVM]

Health Department Hires Staff to Help with Pandemic Response — The county’s health department is looking for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to join its vaccination team on a part-time, temporary basis. The plan is to hire 100 people. [Fairfax County Government]

In-school Learning to Resume Next Week — Fairfax County Public Schools will bring back its first group of students for in-person instruction on Feb. 16. Students who have already selected to return to in-person instruction will still be able to do so two days a week. [FCPS]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Local police are investigating the theft of an ATM at a Sunoco gas station in Herndon.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, two men broke into the Sunoco at 11516 Leesburg Pike a little after 3 a.m. on Feb. 3 and stole an ATM machine.

The two men then escaped in a van.

Local police are investigating the incident. They were alerted when an alarm sounded in the area after the men broke a door to the closed business.

Image via Google Maps

Winter Weather Advisory In Effect — A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the area until noon today. Light, mixed precipitation is possible and snow accumulations of up to one inch are expected. [National Weather Service]

Reston Men Charged in Vehicle Pursuit — “An officer attempted to stop a 2007 Ford Focus for a traffic violation. The driver initially pulled over but then drove away, resulting in a pursuit. The driver, Chris Kpadeh, 20, of Reston, stopped down the road and was taken into custody. He was charged with reckless driving, speed to elude, and driving on a suspended license. A passenger, Mohamed Abdalla, 21, of Reston, was charged with two counts of possession of a concealed weapon and possessing a magazine for a firearm with the capacity of 20+ rounds.“ [Fairfax County Police Department]

No Snow Day Today — All county schools will take part in virtual learning today. Students will follow their regular Monday schedule for virtual instruction. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Deadline for Reston Association Assessments Approaches — Members have until March 1 to pay their 2021 assessment. Installment plans are also available. [RA]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

For the first time since it formed in 2016, the county’s Civilian Review Panel has cited its disagreement with the Fairfax County Police Department’s investigation of racial bias allegations that happened in Herndon in 2019.

Because six of the nine-member panel disagree with the findings of FCPD’s investigation, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed the police department to address the panel’s requests for the next steps. The matter was discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday.

The panel disputed FCPD’s findings that an interaction in 2019 between a police officer from the Reston District Station and an African American man in Herndon was motivated by racial bias.

The man said he felt that he had been targeted and suspected of trespassing “for no reason at all.”

According to the investigation file, the officer began following the man’s car when he turned at a red light in Herndon and stared at the officer. When he ran the car’s license plate and it matched with a woman in Virginia Beach — what he knew to be “a source city for illegal substances” in Fairfax County — his suspicions grew and he followed the man into his apartment complex in Herndon.

The officer approached the man and asked him for his identification, where he lived, and other identifying information. In a complaint submitted to the county, the man said he was shaken by the encounter and was “extremely frightened and nervous.” He recorded the encounter on his cell phone.

According to the report, the officer stayed in the parking lot for a few more minutes after he verified the man’s identity and ran the license plate again.

The man, whose name was not released, said he felt the incident was racially motivated because the officer believed he did not live in the apartment complex and stood in a manner that hindered his ability to get out of his car. No use of force was exercised in the incident.

In official comments to the panel, FCPD Chief Edwin Roessler said that while the office had a series of “poor, cascading assumptions and judgments that were wrongly based on his training,” there is no evidence that race was a factor in the incident.

He acknowledged that FCPD said the encounter indicates that there are some elements that need to be “train[ed]-away.”

“We can’t just keep going to proactive patrol training,’ Roessler told the civilian panel during the course of its investigation. “I pray that you are understanding that as your Chief I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

However, the panel determined that FCPD’s internal review did not thoroughly investigate allegations of racial bias and racial profiling. The panel also concurred with the chief that the officer was not professional.

“The investigative record was virtually silent as to why the officer decided to follow the complainant in the first place and panel members questioned whether a similarly situated white driver would ever have been followed in such a manner,” according to the panel report.

But when the panel did not receive additional information about the investigation last year, the panel voted to advise the board that the investigation was incomplete and needed follow-up interviews with the officer’s coworkers and deeper data analysis.

The panel also found that FCPD lacks objective criteria to evaluate racial bias or profiling incidents. It encouraged the police department to include all community contacts, stops searches and arrests into a data management system. Other recommendations are listed below.

Data analysis of an officer’s community contacts, stops, searches and arrests should  be compared and contrasted with comparable data from the district station where the incident occurred and the county as a whole. The data analysis should also take  into account the racial and ethnic composition of each district as compared to the county overall. 

For the purposes of investigations into allegations of bias or profiling, data analysis  of the officer’s community contacts, stops, searches and arrests should cover a  period of 3-5 years, or if the officer has less tenure, for the duration of his service in  the FCPD. If during the prescribed time period the officer has worked in different  districts within the county, the review and analysis of the officer’s community  contacts, stops, searches and arrests should not be limited to the district where the  officer is assigned at the moment, but rather should include all such encounters in  every county district where the officer served during the time period. 

Like the efforts the FCPD has undertaken to analyze and identify use of force  incidents, the FCPD should consider creating an early warning system to alert  commanders as to whether an officer’s community contacts, stops, searches or  arrests are excessive and disproportionate for a particular race or ethnic group. 

The FCPD should retain an independent expert on implicit bias to examine all law  enforcement policies, practices and training for the purpose of recommending  evidence-based strategies to mitigate the impact of implicit bias on policing.  

Officers should receive implicit bias training on an annual basis. 

The county’s board voted to direct Roessler to take further action on the panel’s requests.

The Civilian Review Panel reviews FCPD investigations containing “allegations of abuse of authority or serious misconduct to ensure accuracy, completeness, thoroughness, objectivity, and impartiality,“ according to the county’s website.

Photo via FCPD 

David Rohrer, deputy county executive for public safety, will take over as interim police chief for the Fairfax County Police Chief on Feb. 1.

The appointment was made by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a meeting yesterday as Edwin Roessler, the current police chief, retires next month.

It isn’t the first time Rohrer has worked for FCPD. From July 2004 to October 2012, Rohrer was appointed as the first-ever deputy county executive for public safety. He jumpstarted his career in 1980 as a patrol officer in Fairfax County. During his 32-year tenure, he worked his way up to several ranks of the department as captain, major and deputy police chief.

In a statement, Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill said he expects the transition to be “seamless.“

“I work closely with Deputy County Executive Rohrer on a daily basis and I could not be more confident in his ability to see the Police Department through this period while we search for a new chief,” he said.

Rohrer currently. oversees the Police and Fire and Rescue Departments, the Department of Public Safety Communications, the Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Animal Sheltering and the McConnell Public Safety and Transportation Operations Center.

Meanwhile, a nationwide search is underway to select the next new police chief. The county is working with POLIHIRE to conduct the search. A community survey to identify key skills, characteristics, and traits for the new hire is open through Saturday.

Photo via Fairfax County Government

Police Department Warns of Scam — Scammers are calling local residents and claiming to represent the Fairfax County Police Department. Individuals are asked to make payments to resolve outstanding warrants, which are fake. [FCPD]

Local Leaders Want Vaccine Woes Fixed — ” A coalition of local governments in Northern Virginia is calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to streamline the release of COVID-19 vaccine doses and provide more transparency and equity into the process.” [Inside NOVA]

Morale Boosters Planned for Herndon Community — “K Scarry of Herndon, Community Director of The People’s Supper, and Jimmy Cirrito, owner of Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon, discuss a new initiative that needs no funding ‘to get all of our neighbors and local businesses through to the other side of the pandemic.“ [The Connection]

Reston Company Plans Hiring Spree — “Fast-growing software company ScienceLogic is prepping for a massive hiring spree in 2021. The Reston company ended 2020 with a little over 400 people and plans to hire about 150 more over the coming year, CEO Dave Link told the Washington Business Journal, boosting headcount by roughly 40% in the coming months.“  [Washington Business Journal]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

Fairfax County Teacher Arrested for Sexual Assaults of Student — “A Fairfax County Public Schools teacher is in custody for sexually assaulting a student more than twenty years ago. Detectives assigned to our Major Crimes Bureau Child Abuse Squad recently learned of the unlawful sexual contact and began an investigation. Last night, detectives arrested Marc Damon Cheatham, 51, of Woodbridge.“  [FCPD]

Repairs to Lake Anne Fountain Completed — Reston Association has completed repairs to Lake Anne Fountain at Lake Anne Plaza. Residents can expect to see the lights function on schedule. [RA]

CORE Foundation Celebrates 15 Years — “CORE Foundation in Reston, “Helping Others Be the Change for 15 Years,” held its MASKerade and Community Hero Awards Saturday evening, Jan. 16. Celebrating the nonprofit organization’s 15th anniversary, co-hosts Doug Bushée, founder and Chairman of the Board, and Taralyn Tharp Kohler, Executive Director, welcomed guests and honorees to the virtual event. “

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The Fairfax County Police Department is preparing for Inauguration Day tomorrow with a heightened police presence throughout the county.

In a statement to Reston Now, FCPD said the department’s focus is safeguarding the community, major thoroughfares, critical infrastructure, and transit hubs.

FCPD has also staffed its civil disturbance unit, neighborhood patrols, and operational support units if they are needed in an emergency situation.

“Community members can expect to see an increased and vigilant police presence and if they have any concerns or observe any suspicious or. concerning activity, we encourage them to report it to an officer or call 911,” FCPD wrote in a statement.

The department noted that the county had an increased presence in past inaugurations.

FCPD deployed officers to DC to help law enforcement agencies to quell the U.S. Capital riots, which were started by a mob of Donald Trump. supporters.

No police officers were seriously injured earlier this month.  When asked by Reston Now, FCPD did not immediately indicate if it plans to formally deploy any officers to DC.

A number of bridges connecting D.C. to Arlington are either completely shut down or have severely altered traffic patterns. Memorial Bridge is now closed through Thursday morning at 6 a.m. It was closed and then reopened over the weekend.

DC-bound lanes on Roosevelt Bridge, I-395 Bridge, and 14th Street Bridge will also be closed until Thursday morning, but lanes leaving the city “will flow normally” according to the Metropolitan Police Department traffic advisory. There are also a host of DC road closures. 

Key Bridge will remain open, but there’ll be no access to Whitehurst Freeway and only local traffic may turn right on M Street. Thru traffic can only turn left onto Canal Rd/MacArthur Blvd, this also according to the advisory. 

Chain Bridge will remain open in both directions, as well as the Wilson and American Legion Bridges connecting Virginia to Maryland.

Matt Blitz contributed reporting to this story.

Photo via FCPD

A man was robbed at gunpoint by three juveniles in Reston on Jan. 10, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Two juveniles were arrested and charged with robbery and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, police said. Information about the third juvenile involved in the incident was not available.

Police believe the man was waiting at 4 p.m. near the 1500 block of Cameron Crescent Drive when the juveniles robbed the man at gunpoint and ran away.

No other information about the incident was released.

A Herndon man has been arrested and charged with abduction in connecting with a barricade situation that happened on Saturday.

Fairfax County police believe Michael Von Husen, 38, threatened to harm a family member and then prevented the family from leaving their home on the 1500 block of Coat Ridge Road at around 6 p.m.

Officers assigned to FCPD’s special operations division were able to deescalate the situation through negotiations, according to Sgt. Hudson Bull.

One person was treated for minor injuries.

Metro’s Revised Budget Avoids Major Cuts — “Metro will avoid many of the doomsday cuts and layoffs officials previously said would be needed to stem the financial impacts of COVID-19 — at least for now. The federal government will send $610 million in coronavirus relief to WMATA after a package was signed into law last month. But unless ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels or Congress approves another relief package this spring, service reductions and layoffs are planned starting January 2022.” [DCist]

Reston Man Charged with Possessed of Concealed Firearm — “An officer from the Reston District Station of the Fairfax County Police Department arrested Javonta Thaxton, 24, of Reston on a firearm violation, according to the weekly police report.” [Reston Patch]

Sterling Road Reopens After Accident — A westbound lane on the 1000 block of Sterling Road reopened last night. The road was closed to do an accident. [Herndon Police Department]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Comscore Secures Investment for Stock Deal — The Reston-based media measurement and analytics company is making a cash investment in order to change shares of convertible preferred stock. [Virginia Business]

Library Branches Switch to Curbside Services Only — Beginning Jan. 11, Fairfax County Public Library branches will switch to virtual and curbside services only. [Fairfax County Government]

County Board Asks State Legislators for Flexibility to Recover — “When it comes to what Fairfax County would like to see come out of this year’s state legislative session, flexibility is at the top of the list.” [WTOP]

Police Find Bullet Inside Home — Local police found a bullet lodged inside a home on the 11800 block of Breton Court on Jan. 2. A homeowner called police when they found a shattered glass door and a hole in their curtain. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr