Franconia District Police Station Nov Community Report

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Message From the Commander

Dear Franconia Community,

November brings the start of the holiday season. With the gradual easing of the COVID pandemic, many are looking forward to getting back to the holiday activities of pre-pandemic days and getting together with friends and family. Similarly, we at Franconia District Station are looking ahead to more opportunities to engage with you, the members of our community. Police staffing is tight due to unprecedented vacancies and that requires decisions on how to allocate available officers. Recognizing that keeping in touch with the community is of prime importance, Police Chief Kevin Davis has directed that patrol staffing be maintained with emphasis on patrol and community contact. To get the most from each contact, a Customer Satisfaction Survey (see below) has been created for you to tell us about your encounter with the police. Please take advantage of it.

Above all have a great holiday season and Stay Safe!

Sincerely,

James

James Krause, Captain

Commander, Franconia District Station

Click here for the Franconia District Station Website

Comments?

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Comments

Contact with Police? How Did It Go?

The Fairfax County Police Department is asking for your feedback whenever you have contact with a FCPD Police Officer. Whether the contact was initiated by you, by the officer, or in some other way, FCPD wants your comments - good or bad - on the event. FCPD Police Officers will hand out business cards with the QR code for the Community Satisfaction Survey site on the back as shown in the image. The cards will also have a QR code for the FCPD recruiting site.

Bonnie Kraut's Story - How Times Have Changed!

Bonnie Kraut's story - as told in one of a series of Mission Barbeque vignettes honoring those who serve - begins with a picture taken at Franconia District Station in the early 70s. It goes on to illustrate how different the times were then for women police officers and how Bonnie Kraut and others helped change the role of women in policing.

Officer of the Quarter

PFC Victor Cruz

While PFC Victor Cruz was conducting surveillance to combat a string of commercial burglaries, he met a business owner who said he was in the process of opening a hookah lounge. The owner told PFC Cruz that he hoped to have his ABC license by the end of the summer. Nevertheless, PFC Cruz observed that the parking lot was full late at night with patrons going into the lounge. The owner told PFC Cruz that he did not have an ABC license, but that this was a private event and alcohol was not being sold - even though PFC Cruz observed alcohol being consumed.

PFC Cruz used social media to discover that after-hours parties were being held and alcohol was for sale but all transactions were handled on-line so that no cash exchanged hands. PFC Cruz contacted the Fire Marshal and, after investigation, the lounge was closed and the owner charged with multiple code violations.

PFC Cruz’s initiative led to the closing down of an illegal club that was found to be unsafe to even occupy. The large number of people at noisy late night events also potentially degraded the neighborhood. PFC Cruz demonstrated what a motivated, proactive officer can do to protect and serve the community.

The End is Here,

Be Prepared!

The November 7th end of Daylight Saving Time, that is. There's a lot more to the end of Daylight Saving Time than just a clock change. We regain an hour of sleep in exchange for losing evening daylight hours, and this can increase driver and pedestrian danger.

Most people will see a huge difference on their evening commute as roadways get dark earlier. Drivers need to be aware of the increased danger, remain alert, and minimize distractions to avoid crashes. Pedestrians, including students getting out of school buses, should be extra careful as well.

In addition to darker evenings, the time change can interrupt sleep patterns and cause drowsy motorists. A change in time can mean that drivers are more tired than they realize. Drivers who miss between one to two hours of the recommended seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period nearly double their risk for a crash.

Safety tips for motorists:

Rest up: Get plenty of rest before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you do begin to feel drowsy while driving, pull over immediately and rest or call a family member or friend for assistance.
Be prepared for morning and afternoon sun glare: Sun glare in the morning or early evening can cause temporary blindness. To reduce the glare, AAA recommends wearing high-quality sunglasses and adjusting the car’s sun visors as needed. Use of the night setting on rear view mirrors can reduce glare from headlights approaching from behind.
Car care maintenance: Keep headlights, tail lights, signal lights, and windows (inside and out) clean.
Ensure headlights are properly aimed: Poorly aimed headlights blind other drivers and reduce visibility.
Keep headlights on low beams when following another vehicle so other drivers are not blinded.
Reduce your speed and increase your following distances: It’s more difficult to judge other vehicles’ speeds and distances in dark conditions.
Be mindful of pedestrians and crosswalks: Yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks and don’t pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks.

Safety tips for pedestrians:

Cross at intersections or crosswalks. Don’t cross in the middle of the street or between parked cars and don’t jaywalk.
Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. If you have to walk on a road that doesn’t have sidewalks, walk facing traffic.
Evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before you step out into the street.
Wear bright colors or reflective clothing if you’re walking near traffic at dawn, dusk and night and carry a flashlight when walking in the dark.
Allow extra time and distance for a vehicle to stop in inclement weather.
While walking, pocket the cell phone and avoid listening to music at a volume that prohibits you from hearing approaching danger.
Don’t let umbrellas or jacket hoods block your view of approaching traffic.

Crime Prevention Office Events

Walk & Talk with the Chief of Police

In cooperation with community groups, Franconia District Station is coordinating "Walk & Talk" events throughout the district.

In most cases, planned events will include other Public Safety team members such as Fire and Rescue, Sheriff's Office, or Board of Supervisors representatives as well as Police.

"Walk & Talk" events are normally from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and are intended to offer a low-stress opportunity for community members to meet and to discuss issues and concerns with their public safety representatives. The next event is:

Beccles Field

Shuttington Drive, Kingstowne, VA 22315

Wednesday, November 10th

5:00 to 7:00 PM

Mock Traffic Stops

On October 23rd, Franconia District Station hosted a mock traffic/subject stop exercise for people with disabilities. The exercise was part of series of events stemming from a partnership of FCPD with The Arc of Northern Virginia and the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management.

These events are a learning experience for both officers and participants. The events help participants get ready for interactions with police so they feel safer. The events also give officers a chance to learn directly from people with disabilities and their families.

For more information about any event or for other crime prevention information and assistance, contact the Franconia District Station Crime Prevention Office:

Community Outreach and Liaison Officer

PFC Cindy Osegueda [cindy.osegueda@fairfaxcounty.gov] 703-922-0889

Crime Prevention Officer

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

Click below to visit the Fairfax County Police Department's

Crime Prevention & Awareness page.

Crime Prevention & Awareness

October Crime Report

ROBBERY: 6000 block of Kingstowne Village Parkway, 10/27/21, 8:31 p.m., The victim was approached by a man, assaulted and personal property was taken. No injuries were reported.

COMMERICAL BURGLARY: 6536 Backlick Road (Springfield Motors), 10/27/21, 2:30 a.m. Someone forced entry into the business.

COMMERICAL BURGLARY: 6025 Farrington Avenue (Expert Fence), 10/19/21, 10:09 p.m. Someone entered the closed business and took property.

ROBBERY: 6900 block of Hechinger Drive, 10/18/21, 6:58p.m. The victim was assaulted by a 46-year-old man who tried to take personal property. Nearby community members assisted the victim by holding the man until officers arrived. He was taken to the adult detention center and charged with robbery.

RECKLESS DISCHARGE: 9800 block of Hagel Circle, 10/17/21, 2:01 a.m. After being awoken by the sound of gunfire, the victim found broken glass and bullet holes inside the residence. Upon investigation, officers located spent cartridge cases outside the residence. No injuries were reported.

BURGLARY OF AN OCCUPPIED DWELLING: 7400 block of Beulah Street, 10/11/21, 12:56 a.m. Two men forced entry into the residence and assaulted the victim. No property was taken.

ROBBERY: 6400 block of Franconia Road, 10/7/21, 12:10 a.m. Three men in a 2013 Nissan Altima approached the victim who was on the sidewalk. Two of the men exited the car, displayed a knife, demanded property then drove away. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

POLICE SERVICE: 7010 Braddock Road (Phillips School), 10/6/21, 2:20 p.m. Officers responded to the school for a report of two students who brought firearms onto the property. No firearms were located, and students and staff left the school safely.

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.

Bias Crimes and Incidents - Franconia District

There were no reported bias incidents in October for Franconia District.

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

REMINDER:

Please be vigilant & report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood

Anyone with information pertaining to the listed 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.

By Phone -1-866-411-TIPS ( 866-411-8477);
By Text - Send a text message to 847411, then type the keyword "FCCS" add a space, type your tip info and hit send;
By web - Click HERE; or,
Download our Mobile tip411 App "Fairfax Co Crime Solvers."

Calls for Service and Crime Statistics

Calls for Service

Calls for Service increased in October over the same period the previous year for Franconia and for all other FCPD District Stations. Franconia saw an increase in all categories of call with significant increases in the Service and Traffic categories and a smaller increase in the Criminal category. Click HERE to see a list of which types of calls are included in each category.

For information on how these statistics are compiled click HERE.

Crime Statistics

In September, year-to-date Group A Events (more serious crimes) decreased by 7.55% for Franconia District compared to the same period the previous year. While the overall total and event counts for half of the individual categories decreased, there were increases in other areas, notably robbery.

Decreases in totals were seen in all Patrol Service Areas, with the largest decrease in PSA 600 (see the map below for PSA boundaries).

The total decrease county-wide was 12.57%.

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.

For additional crime statistics and information please click below.

Crime Statistics

Franconia Police District News

November Traffic Safety Initiatives

Each month the Franconia District Station Traffic Enforcement Officer selects areas of the traffic code for special enforcement emphasis. The areas chosen are based on county-wide traffic safety focus areas, seasonal variables, public safety concerns, and other factors. For November, the enforcement areas below have been selected. The numbers refer to Virginia Code sections which can be found HERE ,

November 1^st – 30^th Distracted Driving

46.2-818.2. Use of handheld personal communications devices in motor vehicles; exceptions; penalty.
82-4-24. - Operator to give full time and attention to driving.
82-4-25. - Vehicle to be kept under control.

November 1^st – 30^th Occupant Protection

46.2-1094. Occupants of front seats of motor vehicles required to use safety lap belts and shoulder harnesses; penalty (secondary offense).
46.2-1095. Child restraint devices required when transporting children; safety belts for passengers less than eighteen years old required; penalty.

Franconia

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

CAC Meeting Schedule

CAC meetings are normally held at 7 PM on the 3^rd Wednesday of the month. 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, November 17^th, 2021 at 7 PM via Zoom