Assaults Rise But Fairfax Co. Is Safest Jurisdiction Of Its Size: Cops

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Police released its mid-year crime report last Wednesday, outlining the countywide crime data reported from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023.

Although the department claimed that it was the safest locality of its size, reported assault offenses, both aggravated and non-aggravated, were higher in the first six months of 2023 over the same period last year, according to FCPD data.

In other violent crimes, there were 10 homicide-murder offenses in the first six months of 2023, which was fewer than the 12 reported during the same period in 2022, according to the report.

The number of sex offenses-forcible were also lower than last year, 194 (2022) versus 192 (2023).

FCPD also shared the Major Cities Chiefs Association's Violent Crime Survey-National Totals, which offer a mid-year comparison of violent crimes reported by law enforcement agencies across the U.S.

With 69 of 70 U.S. agencies reporting, the number of homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults in 2023 were lower than in 2022 for the same six-month period.

Drawing violent crime data from the MCCA report, FCPD noted that Fairfax County was the safest locality compared to jurisdictions of similar size during the second quarter of 2023.

Last week, Patch reached out to FCPD to request an interview with or a statement from Chief Kevin Davis about the crime data. Below is the response FCPD provided to Patch's questions.

PATCH: What are your thoughts on the statistics as a whole, how they compare to other law enforcement agencies in the MCCA report, where FCPD did well, and where you think it needs improvement?

FCPD: The Fairfax County Police Department takes pride in being recognized as a premier law enforcement agency, and it is thanks to the efforts of the men and women that make FCPD strong. Our commitment remains steadfast in building trust with our community while effectively addressing crimes in our neighborhoods. Ranking the Major Cities Chiefs Association departments with the lowest crime rate shows some particularly relevant data. When all MCCA police departments are ranked by violent crime rating, Fairfax County holds the second-lowest crime rate among all large departments, even among much smaller jurisdictions.

While homicides year-to-date are down slightly, assault offenses, both aggravated and not aggravated, were up. How does that data work into the chief's planning going forward?

This past year we have focused our resources on the crimes that affect our community most. Recognizing a rise in fatal crashes in 2022, we put a game plan into action to address dangerous driving behaviors. Road Shark put our cops in the places we know crashes occur. Through their visibility, enforcement, and education we have made an impact on road safety. The efforts of our officers and guidance from our commanders led to a significant increase in summons issued from the previous year and a reduction in fatal crashes.

All summonses are up by a considerable amount (15,157). Why is that? Was that an area of focus for this year?

Trends and data are not something we look at just bi-annually, but a constant beat we monitor to ensure our police officers are where they need to be. This summer our Summer Crime initiative tackled some of the trends we saw to include shoplifting, driving under the influence and vehicle-related thefts, many of which resulted in summonses. We will continue to identify trends and/or areas we need to focus our attention on. There are many tools at our disposal and many partners involved in matters of public safety. With increased enforcement, education, and collaboration with our public safety partners we will continue to address the trends and concerns in the county.