Fairfax County Police Department News

Fairfax, VA -The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) is proud to mark the one-year anniversary of its implementation of a new License Plate Reader (LPR) technology. This key data-informed policing initiative, launched in November 2022, has proved to be an invaluable asset in ensuring the safety and security of the Fairfax County community.

Since the adoption of this LPR technology, FCPD has experienced numerous successes in its ongoing mission to prevent crime, enhance public safety, and serve the community. License Plate Readers, or LPRs, have been commonplace in policing for many years. The FCPD is using cutting-edge LPR technology from Flock Safety and Axon to elevate the Department’s ability to solve crimes and find missing people. Both fixed and mobile LPRs have been used in an impressive number of cases over the past year.

Key Benefits of LPR Technology:

1. Crime Prevention: LPRs have significantly enhanced investigative efforts and solved hundreds of complex cases over the past year, including malicious woundings, attempted rapes, burglaries, and other offenses. Most recently, FCPD used LPR technology to identify an offender in an abhorrent indecent liberties case involving juvenile victims.
   
   
2. Recovery Efforts: The use of LPR technology has resulted in an incredible number of stolen vehicles being successfully located and returned to their rightful owners. In the past year, FCPD’s officers and detectives have also utilized LPR technology to recover 22 firearms and locate 18 critical missing people in Fairfax County.
   
   
3. Community Engagement: The LPR technology has allowed our officers to be more proactive in their work addressing traffic-related issues and engaging with residents, thereby fostering more trust and cooperation within the community.

“The FCPD will continue to be at the forefront of data-informed policing strategies, including the responsible use of technology to meet the needs and expectations of our community,” said Chief Kevin Davis. “LPR technology has proven to be a game-changer for our community. It has enhanced our ability to protect and serve Fairfax County and the pronounced results we’ve seen this year are a testament to the hard work of our officers and our community’s steadfast support.”

FCPD has made multiple changes to its LPR program over the past year to better serve the needs of the community, including a 92% reduction in data retention length by keeping the stored data for only 30 days across all LPR systems. Additionally, FCPD does not get any LPR alerts regarding immigration enforcement warrants, driver’s licenses, registration, or inspection violations.

 Community engagement events continue throughout the county where community members can discuss the department’s use of technology to solve crime. A reinforced policy, expanded training, and accountable oversight measures are all part of the numerous additions to the program.

The FCPD plans to continue its use of LPR technology and enhance its crime-fighting capabilities while strengthening community partnerships regarding its use of technology. As we celebrate this one-year milestone, we look forward to continuing to work with the community to further enhance public safety and ensure that Fairfax County remains a safe place to live, work, and play.

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