DWI Arrests On The Rise In Fairfax County

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA—Fairfax County introduced the DWI squad last year, and it's proving that police are cracking down on intoxicated driving more than ever.

Fairfax County made 2,139 DWI arrests in 2017, an increase from 1,957 arrests in 2016 and 1,841 arrests in 2015.

513 of these arrests came from the DWI squad, a nine-officer operation introduced in late 2016 and tasked with reducing drunk driving crashes. The officers are sent to areas around the county based on requests from station commanders, data and resident calls. All of the members are trained in DWI detection and drug recognition, and the program is fully funded through a federal grant.

Police have provided data to Patch on DWI arrests by police district. Here is a breakdown of the where the arrests happened in 2017:

Mason Police District: 378 arrests

Franconia Police District: 300 arrests

Sully Police District: 277 arrests

West Springfield Police District: 231 arrests

McLean Police District: 201 arrests

Fair Oaks Police District: 167 arrests

Reston Police District: 146 arrests

Mount Vernon Police District: 141 arrests

The remaining 298 arrests were by officers not assigned to a specific police district station.

Main image via Shutterstock; Maps via Fairfax County Police