Fairfax County Police Department News

Fairfax County, VA – The Fairfax County Police Department is proud to share that Assistant Chief Bob Blakley was recently featured in the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Critical Issues in Policing 2025: The Current State of Traffic Enforcement report. The national publication highlights FCPD’s renewed commitment to traffic safety, culture change, and data-driven enforcement strategies that have led to measurable improvements across Fairfax County.

Assistant Chief Blakley outlined how the department re-embraced traffic enforcement after pandemic-era declines, emphasizing the expectations of our community and the responsibility officers have to prevent crashes before they claim lives.

“We use a community engagement tool to determine the most important public safety issues to our residents,” Blakley said. “Theft ranks first, traffic safety ranks second… Our HOA meetings are filled with people asking for speed bumps and stop signs.”

The PERF report highlights how FCPD rebuilt its traffic enforcement culture by explaining the why behind the work. Blakley described the department’s internal messaging campaign, rooted in real stories and real loss, including line-of-duty deaths and serious crashes that shaped the agency’s approach.

“Then we directed our officers’ efforts. We taught them some of those old school selective enforcement initiatives where we said, ‘Hey, the Fairfax County Parkway has three of our top 10 most serious crash locations. We are going to do directed patrol initiatives there. You can write a report, you can write a ticket, you can write a warning, you can write a field contact.’ It’s not about quotas, we said. We’re not looking for tickets, we’re looking to change behavior that causes deaths”, Blakley said.

By directing resources to high-risk roadways, reinforcing procedural justice, and creating healthy competition among squads, FCPD generated significant results. The strategy led to a 60 percent reduction in fatal crashes and a dramatic increase in meaningful enforcement, moving from roughly 30,000 citations in 2020 to nearly 70,000, with an additional 30,000 warnings.

PERF also highlighted FCPD’s proactive work addressing illegal sideshows and reckless driving meetups. Blakley detailed how coordinated operations, close partnerships with business owners, and the use of social media have helped the department disrupt these dangerous gatherings before they escalate.

This recognition by PERF underscores FCPD’s leadership in shaping national conversations around modern traffic enforcement, community expectations, and evidence-based policing. Fairfax County’s strategies are now serving as a model for agencies across the country looking to rebuild traffic safety efforts in a post-pandemic environment.

FCPD remains committed to reducing crashes, supporting community concerns, and ensuring every enforcement interaction reflects professionalism and procedural justice.

The full Critical Issues in Policing 2025 report is available through the Police Executive Research Forum.