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Alternatives to Police Intervention

Behavioral specialists deescalate mental health crisis calls without the need for arrest or hospitalization about half the time.

Behavioral health

Police Weapons Point At Black People

Long awaited report on Use of Force includes dozens of recommendations to guide the path forward.

An independent study of Fairfax County Police Department use of force confirmed that Black people are overrepresented in use-of-force incidents by Fairfax police.

Students Request Mental Health, Not Police in Montgomery County

Multiple concurrent, conflicting and overlapping proposals concerning police in schools

With a new initiative introduced by Councilmember Nancy Navarro last week, four different proposals on the School Resource Officer program are being considered concurrently.

New Visions for Public Schools in Montgomery County

Restorative justice practices offer hope to reduce racial disparities in school discipline.

“It’s not easy to do what my colleagues did today,” said Craig Rice, chair of the Montgomery County Council’s education committee, “which is to open themselves up.”

Simultaneously: Different Directions in Montgomery County

Council introduces another bill to keep and reimagine SROs before the public responds to bills that prohibit SROs

Two days before the public hearing on council member Will Jawando’s bill to remove School Resource Officers in public high schools because of the disproportionate impact it has on Black and brown students, councilmember Craig Rice introduced a bill to build positive law enforcement relationships within schools.

SRO Program: ‘Fundamentally Mismatched for Schools’ in Montgomery County

Kyson Taylor told Montgomery County Council that every school day before the pandemic he would dread the walk to portable classrooms at Richard Montgomery High School.

Will Police Remain a Force in Montgomery County Schools?

Registration already full for public hearing on School Resource Officers program Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m.

Let’s repeat the known facts: Black and Hispanic students are suspended twice as often as their white peers in elementary, middle and high schools.

This Year in Montgomery County, Keep Your Eye On….

Will the Agricultural Reserve be preserved in perpetuity, as intended, or will County Council press forward in 2021 to permit industrial solar power on agricultural land in its effort to combat climate change?

Matrix, Sunlight Discussed at Fairfax County Public Safety Committee

Community, advocacy groups and police give more than 2,500 suggestions on police reform; Governor signs reform bills from special session

Police reform includes improving morale for police officers.

Disparities in Arrests Lead to Questions about Police in Montgomery County Public Schools

Black and Hispanic students twice as likely to be disciplined with suspension all the way back to elementary school.

Black and Latino students are disproportionately affected by routine school discipline, suspensions, and by arrests in Montgomery County Public Schools.

Gathering Hundreds of Ideas for Police Reform in Fairfax County

Public input session part of effort to create more transparency in public safety.

In retirement, Randy Sayles, former Marine, former Denver police detective, former DEA special agent undercover in the U.S., Pakistan and Brazil, won a lifetime achievement award from Fairfax County for his efforts to make this county’s police force and policies more equitable for all residents.

Reimagining Public Safety in Montgomery County?

When officers use force, black people are on the receiving end 55 percent of the time despite being 18 percent of the county population.

Professor Rashawn Ray trains police officers on racial equity with a virtual reality program that allows evaluators to examine how bias creeps into traffic stops, mental health crises and suspicious person encounters.

Prosecutor Delivers Blow in Fairfax County

Commonwealth’s Attorney says 84 additional positions are needed; 137 if the office is to prosecute traffic cases too.

The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney is in crisis, with an “unsettling lack of resources,” said Steve Descano, who was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2019.

Data Proves Black People Treated Differently in Fairfax County

Arrests of Black people disproportional in every police district in the county.

Of all arrests made by police officers in the county, Black people are arrested 38.54 percent of the time. Black people are targets of police use of force 45.63 percent of the time in the county. Black people make up less than 10 percent of the population.

Use of Force Rises in 2019 in Fairfax County

Disproportionate treatment of African Americans recorded in every police district in the county.

While Black people are less than 10 percent of the Fairfax County population (9.7 percent), they are the targets for use of force by police 46.53 percent of the time.

Marijuana Decriminalized July 1 in Virginia

Will decriminalization of marijuana stop inequitable treatment for communities of color?

Who is more likely to be charged, asked Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw. An executive of a defense contractor smoking marijuana on his deck overlooking woods in Clifton or Great Falls, or the Black teen or young adult walking down Route One in Mount Vernon, or on a street in the Annandale or Culmore sections of Fairfax County?

Use of Force Rises in 2019 in Fairfax County

Disproportionate treatment of African Americans on the rise, too.

While Black people are less than 10 percent of the Fairfax County population (9.7 percent), they are the targets for use of force by police 53 percent percent of the time, 315 of 594 incidents.

‘We Can’t Wait Until 2021’ in Fairfax County

Calls for police reform intensify in the days since Fairfax County officer charged with assault for tasing man in Gum Springs.

The institution of policing dates back to the institution of slavery. “It has to be acknowledged as such. What happened 400 years ago is actually manifesting itself in practice today,” said Fairfax County Chief Equity Officer Karla Bruce.

George Floyd on Our Minds in Montgomery County

Police use of force incidents in Montgomery County involve African Americans 55 percent of the time, even though they make up just 19.9 percent of the population.

While protests spread coast to coast, and local law enforcement condemn the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, data show that police use of force locally targets African Americans disproportionately.

George Floyd on Our Minds