Welcome to the March 2023 edition of the Franconia Community Report. YTD, Franconia Officers have responded to nearly 10,000 calls for service, an 18% increase from last year. Raw number increases of >500 traffic and >200 criminal calls for service largely account for that change. 

February was a month of continued progress, both in terms of fighting crime and conducting meaningful traffic-safety initiatives. YTD, Franconia’s Group A arrests have increased more than 90%, compared to the same time frame last year, with a current raw number increase of >200 Group A arrests. In terms of trends and patterns, the first two months of 2023 show YTD reductions in several categories to include larcenies from motor vehicles, larcenies of motor vehicle parts and burglaries, both commercial and residential. These categories were the subject of significant enforcement and outreach initiatives last year, which are continuing into 2023.

Crimes with a YTD increase include robbery offenses, with a raw number difference of five offenses when compared to last year. That said, YTD robbery data shows no noteworthy difference when compared to the five-year average. We’ve identified a recent pattern of street robberies along the Backlick Road corridor that we’ve already begun to address. In those cases, more than half the robberies of persons were relationship-based, meaning those cases were not random acts of violence. A slightly larger percent of those cases involved reported drug or alcohol use by both victim and offender at the time of offense. Our crime prevention and outreach team has partnered with stakeholders to implement a number of public safety enhancements in the corridor. They include renewing enforcement agreements on certain areas of private property, environmental design upgrades such as increased lighting, and other security measures. Our officers have also increased foot patrols in this area, in accordance with the FCPD’s iPAC program. Stay tuned to our Weekly Crime Report and other communication channels regarding this pattern and others. As I often say, the identification of crime trends and patterns, coupled with the sharing of actionable data, is a community’s best defense against future occurrences. The Franconia team is committed to continuing to provide timely and actionable information. Remain vigilant and always report suspicious persons and events.

Regarding traffic safety, Franconia’s DWI enforcement is up 50% YTD, which includes targeted enforcement in areas most impacted by drug and alcohol related crashes last year. The issuance of traffic summonses has also increased this year, compared to January and February 2022, aided by the implementation of our full-time traffic safety officer positions. Recently, our officers assisted The St. James, which hosted the Premier Lacrosse League National Championship Series, ensuring traffic and pedestrian safety for thousands of attendees. Our team also supported the FCPD’s Traffic Division’s school-zone safety focus last month. SGT Ed Carpenter led a data-backed project that provided education and enforcement at both Rose Hill ES and Hayfield MS and HS. 

In closing, I thank each of you for your continued support. As always, I can be reached at John.Lieb@fairfaxcounty.gov.  

MPO Keenan began his law enforcement career with the Town of Vienna Police Department in 1996. He then transferred to FCPD in 2001 and has been a patrol officer in the Franconia District since then. MPO Keenan joined SET as of January 30, 2023. He is a welcome addition to the SET team and brings extensive experience and law enforcement knowledge with him. He will be working evening hours in order to focus on traffic safety during the afternoon rush hours in addition to looking into other safety issues in the community. 

On February 16^th, PFC Jake Ryan was assigned to Franconia District-wide patrol and stopped a vehicle with expired license tags. During the stop, he found that the driver was driving on a revoked license and also had an outstanding warrant for violating the terms of a Conditional Release related to previous gun and drug charges. The driver was arrested and among the items found in a search of the vehicle (see photo below) were: a loaded Glock semi-automatic pistol, about three pounds of marijuana, 212 blue pills (likely fentanyl), two bars of psilocybin (a hallucinogenic compound found in some fungi), and three cell phones. Warrants are being sought to search the cell phones and the results could produce further investigative leads.

The driver was held without bond and, in addition to the outstanding warrants, was charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, possession of a firearm while distributing narcotics, driving on a suspended license, and expired vehicle registration. He was also served with yet another outstanding warrant from different jurisdiction.

In February of 2023, a series of Larceny from Vehicle incidents occurred along the Backlick Road area, and in the Chelsea Square apartments. The offenders would break vehicle windows with a rock or brick to gain entry, and then steal wallets, change, or other loose items. Patrol officers that work the area coordinated, and through finding the property one of the victim’s, they were able to identify two suspects as the potential perpetrators.

Officer Crotty volunteered to take the lead in investigating the cases and collecting evidence to tie the suspects to the crimes. Officer Crotty’s investigation led to a juvenile suspect involved in the incidents. A subsequent interview with the juvenile confirmed the involvement of his adult accomplice. Officer Crotty was also able to link the two suspects to recent Unlawful Entry incidents at two vacant apartments in Chelsea Square. During the investigation, Officer Crotty established good rapport with the management of the Chelsea Square apartments. On March 2^nd, this relationship led to the management contacting Officer Crotty to alert him that the now-wanted adult suspect was on the complex property. Despite it being his day off, Officer Crotty coordinated with on-duty patrol units to saturate the area and take the adult suspect into custody.

Officer Crotty then responded to work to interview the adult suspect and obtained a confession to approximately thirteen larcenies from vehicles and the two unlawful entry cases. The interview also led to the possible involvement of two other suspects and Officer Crotty will continue to investigate their involvement and obtain any appropriate charges.

Join the Crime Prevention and Outreach team for the

First Baptist Church of Springfield

7300 Gary Street

Monday, March 27th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

For more information about events or for other crime prevention information and assistance, contact the

Franconia District Station Crime Prevention and Outreach Office:

Crime Prevention Officer

MPO Sean Corcoran [sean.corcoran@fairfaxcounty.gov] 703-277-2476

Community Outreach Officer

PFC Kevin Rosa [FCPDFranconiaCPO@fairfaxcounty.gov]

In response to community feedback, Captain Lieb has launched the Franconia District Crime Report. The report contains brief descriptions of incidents that have occurred in the Franconia Police District. The information is periodically posted on nextdoor. This information is based on initial reports and is not a comprehensive list of every police event.

Calls for Service and Crime Statistics

Calls for Service, Incident, and Arrest Trends

The charts below summarize year-to-date trends for the 2021 - 2023. For detailed information on Incidents by category and location

click HERE .

2023 Year-to-Date Calls for Service increased in every category with a total increase of 19% over the same period in 2022.

2023 Year-to-Date Incidents increased in both Group A and Group B with a total increase of 10%.

2023 Year-to-Date Arrests increased in every category with a total increase of 77% over the previous year. Group A (more serious) Arrests increased 110% over prior years.

To see the call types included in each Call for Service category click HERE.

For a list of Group A and B Incidents click HERE.

For information on how these statistics are compiled click HERE.

February Bias Crimes

SIMPLE ASSAULT (Anti-Male Homosexual), Sunday - 2/19/2023,7200 block of Little River Turnpike: A fight broke out between two parties in the bathroom of a bar after one party made transphobic/homophobic remarks to the other.

DESTRUCTION - GRAFFITI (Anti-Black), Tuesday - 2/14/2023, 9300 block of Richmond Hwy: An interior stairwell wall had profanity and a racial slur painted on it.

For more detail on Virginia and Fairfax County Bias Crime law click  HERE.

Anyone with information pertaining to cases is asked to contact Crime Solvers by one of the methods below. If the information provided results in an arrest and indictment, apprehension of a fugitive or the recovery of stolen property or seizure of illegal drugs, a cash reward ranging between $100 to $1000 is paid to the tipster.

CAC meetings are normally held at 7 PM on the 3^rd Wednesday of the month.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 15^th, 2023, at 7 PM in the Community Room, Franconia Governmental Center, 6121 Franconia Road.

Agenda: The speaker will be Abby Dunner with the Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Other community donations in February included: cookies from the Rosehill 7-11, Chinese food from Sampan Cafe for both Days and Mids shifts, and meals from Diet to Go. 

 Click on the image.