Fairfax County Police Department News

West Springfield Police District – Officers from the West Springfield District, along with the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), worked together to bring an elderly couple home safely after they were reported missing from their residence.

On November 3, officers responded to the 8800 block of Hayload Court near West Springfield for a welfare check on an elderly couple reported missing from their home. Family members advised that the couple, who both suffer from mental and/or health concerns, were believed to have left in their vehicle.

At 2:07 p.m., the RTCC was notified and immediately began an investigation. By 2:10 p.m., detectives used Flock Safety license plate reader (LPR) technology to locate the couple’s vehicle traveling in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

At 2:15 p.m., RTCC personnel received secondary LPR alerts for the vehicle in Warrenton, North Carolina, and coordinated with the Warrenton Police Department, who broadcasted a lookout for the vehicle. Deputies with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with assistance from the Warrenton Police Department, were able to locate the vehicle. By 2:26 p.m., just 19 minutes after the RTCC began working on the case, Warrenton officers conducted a traffic stop and found the elderly couple safe and unharmed. Warrenton Police held the couple until family members from Fairfax County arrived to assume their care.

This remarkable outcome highlights the powerful role of technology in policing. License plate reader systems, combined with the RTCC and access to shared law enforcement LPR network systems, have proven invaluable in solving real-life emergencies swiftly and effectively.

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