Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Victims of crime often fail to report the crime to the police because they believe there is little the police can do to catch the culprits, but all that does is help the criminals.  The police have repeatedly requested that non-injury crime victims call the police non-emergency number 703-691-2131 as soon as we discover the crime and report what we know.  The police use this information to identify crime patterns and trends, reassign resources, and often capture the criminals.

Remember, the police probably will not be able to make an immediate arrest, but the information you provide plays an important role in catching thieves and vandals that strike in our neighborhood.

Successful efforts to combat crime require the cooperative involvement of police and citizens.  The police cannot be everywhere.  For this reason, success against crime is dependent on citizen cooperation and involvement.  Many crimes could be prevented if more citizens were alert to suspicious activity and notified the police.

When you should call the police.

Whenever you observe suspicious events, even though you may not be the only person observing them, call the police.  Never think the next person will do what you should.  The police would rather get numerous calls on the same event than none at all.

Often citizens fail to call the police because they are not sure if what they see is suspicious.  If you are in doubt, call the police immediately.  Don't wait to talk it over with friends or neighbors.  Valuable police response time is lost this way.

Don't be concerned about bothering us because you won't.  Don't dwell on your possible embarrassment if your call should prove to be unfounded.  Think instead of what could have happened had you not called.  You or your loved ones could become the victims of a criminal act.

What is suspicious?

• A stranger enters your neighbor's home while your neighbor is away or someone crosses your neighbor's yard with no apparent lawful purpose.
• Someone tries to open a neighbor's door.
• A moving truck or van pulls up to a neighbor's home while they are gone.
• Remember, burglaries often occur at times when they should be most obvious—in broad daylight, in full view of observers, with no effort at subterfuge.
• Someone is carrying property such as television sets, radios, stereos, etc., at an unusually late hour or in an unusual place, especially if it does not appear that the property is newly purchased.
• Anyone peering into vehicles while walking down a street; someone removing license plates, gasoline, or parts from a car; or someone attempting to enter a car using a coat hanger or other device.  Never assume that it is the owner who has locked the keys in the car.  Be suspicious of anyone tampering with the hood or trunk of a car.
• The sound of shattering glass could signal a possible burglary, vandalism, or larceny in progress.
• Anyone being forced into a vehicle could be the victim of a possible abduction.
• An improperly parked car or an abandoned vehicle, or someone leaving one car and driving away in another.  These may be signs of a stolen vehicle.
• Persons loitering around schools, parks, isolated areas, or in the neighborhood.  Loiterers could be possible sex offenders or burglars.
• Anyone on school, church, or cemetery property after dark and not taking part in an approved activity.
• Business transactions conducted from a vehicle and often involving juveniles, a steady flow of strangers to and from a particular house on a regular basis at unusual times or late hours.  This could indicate drug sales or a fencing operation.
• Offers of goods or repair work at unusually low prices could indicate stolen property or some kind of fraud.

How do you contact the police?

Call 911 for crimes in progress and events that are life-threatening or immediately damaging to property.

Call the non-emergency number, 703-691-2131, to report crimes that already occurred and when the suspect is no longer in the area, or to advise police of suspicious activity.

Use the Internet to report the following types of incidents:

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ps/police/CRS/CRSDiscl.htm

What information does the police need?

You will be asked for your name, address, and phone number.  This information is requested in case additional contact with you is necessary, but you do not have to provide this information if you do not want to.  If you wish, you may provide the police with just a call back number we can use if

our initial information was wrong or the situation has changed before an officer arrives.  Any information provided to the police department is kept confidential.  If you do not want personal contact with the responding officer, say so.

The most important information needed by the police is:

• What happened?
• When did the happen?
• Where did this occur?  The police need the exact street address, intersecting roads, or common places such as name of shopping centers or schools, etc.
• Is anyone hurt?
• License plate numbers and vehicle descriptions.
• Direction of travel.
• Description(s) of suspect(s).
• Are weapons involved?

By acting quickly and calmly, your request for police service could foil a crime, help to identify suspects involved in other crimes, or deter a criminal act by letting potential suspects know that you and your neighbors are alert to suspicious activity, suspicious vehicles, and suspicious persons.

It has been proven that in neighborhoods where citizens have joined together to look out for each other's safety, the incidence of burglaries and other crimes against property has been significantly reduced.

The impact that a burglary can have on you and your family can be traumatic.  It is not just a property crime.  Apprehending the criminal and trying to recover your property is the responsibility of the police.  We want you to know that we are concerned about the effects this crime has on you.  This article is intended to assist you in recovering from the effects of your experience.

The Investigation

A uniformed police officer has taken the preliminary report.  An attempt to recover evidence through processing for latent fingerprints or canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses has been conducted.  This is what will happen next:

• A copy of the report will be placed on the roll call boards for officers to review.
• The Public Information Office will provide the hundred block and some details of the offense to the local media (your name or address will not be published).
• The Criminal Investigations Section (CIS) supervisor will designate the case as active or inactive based on the availability of evidence and solvability.
• Evidence will be held for investigation purposes.  Our specialists will analyze recovered fingerprints.
• Recovered stolen property may be marked for release from the police property room, unless it is needed for the investigation.

This designation is reserved for cases that have leads to be followed and the possibility exists of solving the crime.  A lead would include:

• The name of a suspect or a vehicle tag number.
• An identifiable fingerprint.
• A distinctive method of operation that ties it into other existing cases.

Inactive Cases

Your case is very important to us, but without active leads your case will be designated as "inactive."  If a lead develops through other investigations, the detective handling your case will contact you.  The fact is that a small number of burglars commit a high percentage of burglaries.  Aggressive follow up of "active leads" is the best way for us to prevent further crimes in your area.  This can result in solving many burglary cases at one time.

Additional Information

If you become aware of any additional information you should call your Mason District Station CIS Detective at 703-256-8035.

Case Number

The initial reporting officer provided you with a case number.  This number serves as the tracking device for your report.  Please refer to the case number when providing any information about your case.

Emotional Impact

You can expect to have a wide range of emotional reactions as a result of this experience:

• Shock and Disbelief - It will be difficult to comprehend that an intruder was able to make entry into your home.
• Disorientation - It may take some time for you to get back into your normal routine.
• Lack of Control - Listing stolen property, filling out insurance forms, and the realization your property may not be recovered, will contribute to a feeling of helplessness.
• Fear - You will lose the sense of security you once had in your home, and it will take time for you to re-establish that sense of security.  This is particularly true for children.
• Anger - This is often the strongest and most long-term emotion felt by burglary victims.

Reporting the crime to the police is your first step in the recovery process. You can also:

• Initiate a "cleansing process" in your home. Redecorate, paint, shampoo the carpets, etc.
• Talk to family and friends about your feelings.
• Take reasonable security measures to make your home less attractive to a burglar.
• Professional counseling for the family is often a means for victims to regain control of their lives.

This is a special division of the Fairfax County Police Department.  They are available to provide help to crime victims and guide them through the criminal justice system.

Report the Crime to the Police.  It is critical that victims of crime ask the police to send an officer out to your home to file a report.  It doesn't matter if you think there is little chance that the police will be able to catch the perpetrator(s).  It doesn't matter if the police officer you are dealing with over the phone is not enthusiastic about coming out and taking a report.  Police investigators need crime victims and witnesses to file a report every time a crime has been committed, as quickly as possible.

Several months ago, many car windows were shot at on several streets in Westlawn.  Most people were quick to get the windows replaced, but slow to contact the police and file a report.  Just talking to an officer will not ensure that the officers assigned to investigate crimes in our area know what is going on-you must file a report.  In this case, police investigators were not aware of the extent of the crimes until long after the event, when their usual sources of leads had long dried up.

The police have noted a disturbing trend in our area:  fewer people are reporting vandalism to the police.  For example, in one week late last year, there were no calls of vandalism for our entire police district!  Fewer calls of crimes to the police typically lead to increased crime, including serious crime.  Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.  The more we report crimes to the police, the more attention the police will give to our neighborhood, and the less attractive are neighborhood is to criminals.

The police also want to know about large-scale littering trends.  Criminals tend to leave beer bottles and other trash around areas where they are hanging out, partly to mark their territory.  It's great when people take their own initiative to clean up the trash, but first file a report with the police so that they can make sure to keep an eye out for these areas.  The less criminals hang out in our neighborhood, the less crime we will have.

At our 1 February General Meeting, officer Josh Brown said that thefts of items from cars was the number one crime problem in our area.  Larceny from vehicles generally occurs in 2 to 3 month waves.  While overall crime statistics are down, the trend in stealing cars is increasing, with car thieves moving south of Route 50 into our neighborhood.

On a different note, Officer Brown had some important advice if your car breaks down on the Beltway, affectionately known as Suicide Circle by truckers.  If possible, do not stay in your disabled vehicle, but rather get out behind a guardrail.  He has seen too many people hurt when their disabled vehicle was struck by cars at high speed.

If you don't have a cell phone, get a used one cheap and keep it in your car.  911 will contact the police and #77 will get the state police even if you don't have cellular service!  If all you need a cell phone for is emergency services, this is an inexpensive way to get what you want.

Sorry to have to inform you of a residential burglary that occurred December 14 on Brush Drive.  Cash was stolen from the ransacked house, which was entered by breaking the glass on the back door.  This occurred during the day while the homeowner was at work.  The police came and took a report at about 4:15 p.m.

At 3 p.m. I had seen three teenagers walking across the front yard of that house, and I thought that looked odd since there are no teenagers living there.  However, I immediately dismissed the idea, thinking they may be taking a shortcut through the yards, etc.

There is a lesson to be learned here...call in anything that looks suspicious! Next time, I will err on the side of caution and immediately make the call to the police (691-2131) based on my "gut feeling" that something is not right, including suspicious loitering.  The worst that could happen is that the police will verify that everything is okay, and my neighbors will appreciate the fact that someone is keeping an eye out for suspicious activity in the neighborhood.

WHY SHOULD YOU CALL THE POLICE?

Recently there have been numerous thefts from and vandalism to vehicles right there in your community.  It's a great place to live, but you want to be proactive in keeping it that way.  Without your help, the "nuisance" crimes are not reported to the Police--which makes us blind to what is going on in your community.  We really need your cooperation by reporting each and every crime--every broken car window and/or every car stereo stolen.  For this type of report, please use the non-emergency number: 691-2131.

Your calls for seemingly minor occurrences are the only way for us to identify a crime trend or pattern.  You might think an individual occurrence is not worthy of police attention, but it is the only signal we have to your current problem.  A number of such reports allows us to establish patterns which justify additional police resources, such as stakeouts, increased patrol, electronic surveillance, and concentrated investigative effort.

We would like to say "thank you" to those residents who have called in the past.  Only because of these calls have we been able to better identify the extent of the current vehicular crimes, assign an officer to talk with various people in your community, assign an investigator to investigate the criminal activity, and engage Westlawn Neighborhood Watch's support to pass out over 900 flyers alerting residents that a trend has been identified.  All these actions are the only way to develop potential suspects, which you must understand is necessary to lead to an arrest.