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Message From the Commander |
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Dear Franconia Community,
Welcome to the August 2022 edition of the Franconia Community Report. Year to date, Franconia Officers have responded to more than 32,000 calls for service! The crime picture in Franconia largely mirrors that of the County more broadly. Motor vehicle related crimes remain a challenge - motor vehicle thefts, larcenies from vehicles, and larcenies of vehicle parts are continuing to occur at higher-than-average rates.
In response, I recently established a full-time traffic and vehicle-related selective enforcement position. The enforcement aspect of the position is self-explanatory. But, my vision is that enforcement be coupled with public outreach and education. It’s critical that we both identify localized trends and patterns and then share actionable data and insight so that our community can best defend against future occurrences.
I’m looking forward to introducing our new selective enforcement officer in the near future. Also, stay-tuned for further information about our Traffic Town Hall this Fall.
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer and stay safe.
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Sincerely,
John
John Lieb, Captain
Commander, Franconia District Station
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Comments?
Let us know what you think of the Community Report. Are there things you would like to see, not see, or see differently? Tell us about it.
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- Commander's Message - Vehicle related crime
- Board of Supervisors Lee District is now Franconia District
- Officer of the Month - Stolen Autos, Stolen Jewelry
- Town Hall with Supervisor Lusk, Chief Davis and Station Commanders
- Auto Theft and Airbag Theft - still
- Burglary Prevention protective film
- National Night Out has 128 events
- July Crime Report
- July Calls for Service decrease, Group A Crime up 23%
- Traffic Safety Initiatives - Back to School, Speed and more
- The new Lorton Community Center - Coming Soon
- CAC Meeting Hiatus
- New FCPD Recruiting Video and Links to Data and Social Media
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Supervisor District Name Change |
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The name of Supervisor Rodney Lusk's district has changed from Lee to Franconia. Please note that the Franconia Police District and The Board of Supervisors Franconia District overlap but are not geographically the same. |
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Stolen Autos, Stolen Jewelry |
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On July 2, PFC Timothy Kalivoda responded to a request by a police department in New Jersey to locate a stolen auto with GPS pinging in his patrol area. PFC Kalivoda was able to locate the unoccupied vehicle and found another, unrelated car located nearby that was also reported stolen. He advised his supervisor to request an ACE (Auto Crimes Enforcement unit) call out and while waiting for ACE to respond, he observed a tractor trailer hauling a shipping container leaving the nearby area. This tractor trailer was stopped. Inside were two cars that were later determined to also be stolen via identity fraud. PFC Kalivoda’s experience with his patrol area and resolve to locate not only a second but third and fourth stolen vehicle was outstanding.
Two weeks later, PFC Kalivoda responded to the larceny of over $100,000 in jewelry. In that case, a moving company hired random subjects via the internet to supplement normal employees. These subjects went into a closet where they stole the jewelry and left the scene. PFC Kalivoda, despite the inherent challenges of identifying these subjects, put in the extra effort to process the scene and put together an excellent initial investigation. This led to suspects being identified and a large amount of the stolen jewelry being recovered at a pawn shop in Maryland.
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Franconia District Public Safety Town Hall 2022 |
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On July 22 nd, Supervisor Rodney Lusk conducted an online Public Safety Town Hall with Police Chief Kevin Davis, Franconia District Station Commander John Lieb, and other public safety officials. The Town Hall consisted of prepared remarks followed by responses to questions submitted by attendees. The full video of the Town Hall can be seen HERE. Below are a few specific areas that may be of specific interest to the Franconia community. |
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A part of Chief Davis's presentation addressed the nationwide effort to keep police staffing at appropriate levels. For its part FCPD has initiated a number of measures including a new recruitment campaign. Click on the image to start the video at that portion of the Town Hall. |
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A county-wide analysis of crime trends over the past five years shows that motor vehicle crimes - theft of cars, car contents and parts - assaults and robbery have shown increases. Notably theft of car parts has increased significantly. Click on the image to see this portion of the Town Hall. |
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Since Supervisor Lusk's District includes part of both the Franconia and Mount Vernon Police Districts, the Commanders of the Districts, Capt. John Lieb and Capt. Jeffrey Reiff provided updates on community engagement activities in their districts. Click on the image for that portion of the Town Hall. |
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Auto Theft & Airbag Theft |
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We have unfortunately seen an increase in auto thefts and airbag larcenies in communities around South Van Dorn Street south of I-495. many of the vehicles targeted for airbags were Hondas. In some recent incidents the suspects gained entry by breaking the locks to the doors. Officers and detectives are working diligently to identify and apprehend the suspects. There are things car owners can do to reduce the potential for theft:
- Park in a secured location, such as a garage or behind a locked gate. If these are not available, try to park in a well-lit area.
- Lock your doors. While nothing is theft proof, the more obstacles we can form the better.
- Consider a steering wheel lock or something similar. Again, while nothing will stop someone who is committed, the more obstacles a thief must negotiate the better the chance they will be unsuccessful.
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If you see what appears to be suspicious behavior, don’t hesitate to call Police. Does someone appear to be trying multiple doors? Taking longer than may seem usual to enter a vehicle? Trying to pry a handle or door? Many of the apprehensions we have made regarding thefts from vehicles have been the result of calls by community members reporting suspicious behavior. Please keep it up and help us serve you.
- Take all valuables with you, INCLUDING FIREARMS. If you can’t take items with you, ensure they are hidden from plain view. Firearms should NEVER be left in a vehicle.
With regard to stolen vehicles, our latest incidents appeared to have occurred in the early morning hours in the same general area of South Van Dorn and I-495. Information is still being developed, if you have seen suspicious behavior, please don’t hesitate to contact Police at 703-691-2131. We commend the Property Managers, Condo Associations and HOAs of the area. All work diligently to try to keep their communities safe and some have taken steps to increase security, such as installing gates, surveillance systems, etc. We appreciate the relationships we have with them and will continue to work collaboratively to keep our communities safe.
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Are you aware of the benefits of Security Film? Almost 60 percent of commercial burglaries in 2022 have involved windows or door glass being smashed to gain entry. An easy and cost-effective protective measure is to apply security film to already installed windows to make them very difficult to penetrate. It may not stop someone from breaking a window but may keep them from gaining entry.
Here are some other things businesses can do to keep stores, employees, and clients safer:
- Ensure adequate lighting both on the interior and exterior of stores.
- Have full alarm and surveillance system coverage.
- Remove environmental or decorative items that could be used in a burglary, such as rocks, decorations, or other loose objects in the vicinity of doors and windows.
- Watch for suspicious activity, such as someone hanging around a store front after it has closed.
- Remove all valuables from visible areas. Take all cash from the store and deposit it in a safe location like your bank security drop, leave cash register drawers open and empty.
If you see anything suspicious, don’t hesitate to contact Police at 703-691-2131 or in an emergency at 911.
If you would like to discuss Security Film or other ways to keep your business or home more secure, don’t hesitate to contact the Crime Prevention Office. We are also available for home and business security assessments!
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Crime Prevention Office Events |
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National Night Out was on August 2nd this year and included 128 neighborhood events county-wide. Franconia Police District had 29 events the largest count of all eight district stations. |
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For more information about events or for other crime prevention information and assistance, contact the Franconia District Station Crime Prevention Office:
Crime Prevention Officer
Community Outreach and Liaison Officer
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Click below to visit the Fairfax County Police Department's
Crime Prevention & Awareness page.
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COMMERCIAL ROBBERY: 6400 Backlick Road (Sunoco), 7/31/22, 4:01 p.m. A man entered the business, displayed a saw blade, and took property. No injuries were reported.
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY: 6116 Franconia Road (Royal Pawn), 7/28/2022, 3:40 p.m. Three men forced entry into the business and took property.
COMMERCIAL ROBBERY: 6400 Springfield Plaza (ABC Store), 7/26/22, 7:30 p.m. Three women took merchandise without paying. When confronted by a store employee, one of the women hit the employee with a bottle. The women left the area in a light-colored SUV. The victim was treated for injuries that were not considered to be life threatening.
ASSAULT BY MOB: 7100 block of Little River Turnpike, 7/24/22, 1 a.m. The victim walked out of a business and was assaulted by three to four unknown men. No injuries were reported.
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY: 9020 Lorton Station Boulevard (T-Mobile), 7/17/22, 2:21 a.m. Someone forced entry into the business and took property.
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY - ARREST: 6500 Springfield Mall, 7/12/22, 5:40 a.m. Security saw a 22-year-old man emptying the contents of a cash register into a bag in a parking garage. Officers located the man and took him into custody. He was charged with burglary.
BURGLARY: 7500 block of Gresham Street, 7/2/22, 9:43 p.m. A community member called the police after seeing suspicious activity at a neighbor’s house. Officers found a 63-year-old man exiting the residence with stolen property. The man was arrested and charged with grand larceny, four counts of credit card larceny, burglary, possession of burglarious tools, stolen property with intent to sell.
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY: 6800 Commerce Street (Dunkin’), 7/7/22, 3:49 a.m. Two men forced entry into the business. Nothing was reported to be taken.
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The report contains selected crimes. This report is not a comprehensive list of every police event in the district in the month. Information contained in the Info Sheet is generally based on initial reports made to the police department. Follow-up investigations may reveal different or additional information.
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Bias Crimes and Incidents - Franconia District |
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SERVICE – CIVIL DISPUTE (Anti Black), Tuesday – 07/05/2022
6500 Springfield Mall – Springfield Town Center: A white female made a racial slur toward two black females.
For more detail on Virginia and Fairfax County Bias Crime law click HERE
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REMINDER:
Please be vigilant & report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood
Anyone with information pertaining to these 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.
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By Phone -1-866-411-TIPS ( 866-411-8477);
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By Text - Send a text message to 847411, then type the keyword "FCCS" add a space, type your tip info and hit send;
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By web - Click HERE; or,
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Download our Mobile tip411 App "Fairfax Co Crime Solvers."
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Calls for Service and Crime Statistics
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Total Calls for Service FCPD-wide decreased 3.6% in July 2022 versus July 2021. Franconia Calls for Service decreased 1.3% compared to July 2021.
In Franconia, Criminal Calls for Service increased 13.5% while Service calls decreased 3.4% and Traffic calls declined 6.9% in July versus July 2022.
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To see the call types included in each category click HERE
For information on how these statistics are compiled click HERE .
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In the January - July period of 2022, Franconia Group A Events (more serious crimes) increased by 23% compared with January - July 2021. There were increases in all Patrol Service Areas and especially in PSA 640. The FCPD department-wide change was a 14% increase.
In Franconia, there were notable increases in the Assault, Counterfeiting, Larceny/Theft, Robbery and Motor Vehicle Theft categories and decreases in Burglary and several other categories.
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Group A offenses are more serious offenses as designated by the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). For a full description of Groups A and B click HERE.
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For additional crime statistics and information please click below.
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Franconia Police District News |
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Traffic Safety Initiatives |
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Each month the Franconia Station Traffic Enforcement Officer selects sections of the traffic code for special enforcement emphasis. The selection is based on county-wide focus areas, seasonal variables, public safety concerns, and other factors. For the month of August, the areas below are selected. Brief interpretations of key points of the code are listed. Click on the underlined heading or text to read the full code. |
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"Back to School Preparation" - and more
August 1st – 31st: Respect Red - When an amber signal is shown, traffic which has not already entered the intersection, including the crosswalks, shall stop if it is not reasonably safe to continue, but traffic which has already entered the intersection shall continue to move until the intersection has been cleared.
August 1st – 31st: Speed Enforcement - The speed limit in school zones is 25 mph punishable by a fine of not more than $250, the speed limit may be reduced to 15 mph or otherwise changed if change is justified.
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Lorton Community Center to Open |
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The new Lorton Community Center is about to open with a range of recreational educational and social services. Learn more about what will be at LCC by clicking HERE for the flier. The flier is also available in SPANISH and ARABIC.
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Franconia
Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
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CAC meetings are on hiatus in July and August, but meetings are normally held at 7 PM on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. All are welcome. Meeting participation details are distributed by email. Contact CAC Coordinator Kim Barber mailto:kim.barber@fairfaxcounty.gov if you would like to be placed on the CAC notification list.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 at 7 PM in the Community Room, Franconia Governmental Center, 6121 Franconia Road.
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Find your purpose and contribute to the community
with FCPD.
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Police Data and Reform Website
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Keep in Touch with FCPD
Information and alerts from the Police Department are available
on our web pages and on many social media platforms.
Click on the button below for a list of links.
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