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 Vacation Season Approaches
May brings warm weather, graduations, and the vacation season. It also signals an increase in burglaries. Although burglaries can and do occur in every month of the year, the summer months have significantly more. The increase is due in part to people being away from home. Here are some tips on how to reduce your risk while you are traveling:
- Avoid announcing your vacation plans on social media.
- Ensure your residence appears occupied, even when no one is home, by using timers on TVs and lights.
- Stop mail, newspaper and package deliveries while you are away, or have a neighbor, relative, or friend pick up and secure items for you.
- Have a trusted neighbor, relative, or friend check on your home periodically.
At any time of the year, there are some simple precautions you can take to help protect your home:
- Install security cameras, preferably devices with recording capabilities.
- Keep doors and windows closed and locked.
- Secure sliding glass doors by placing a rod or wooden dowel in the track.
- Lock the door between an attached garage and the living space.
- Keep the perimeter of your home well-lit.
- Keep landscaping trimmed near entrances and walkways.
- Organize or join a Neighborhood Watch program.
- Store ladders, tools, and any other outside objects in a locked shed or garage.
- Set a reminder every night before bed to lock and check your car and home.
And, of course, report suspicious activity to the FCPD non-emergency number at (703) 691-2131 or, for an emergency or crime in progress, use 9-1-1.
Make your home a hard-target for burglars.
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 “Inside Franconia Station” is a monthly feature of the Community Report that highlights the units and skills that enable the station to perform its role in keeping Fairfax County safe. Previous issues have covered Patrol, the Neighborhood Patrol Unit, the Shopping Center Unit, the Selective Enforcement Team (SET). Parking Enforcement, Criminal Investigations Division, and School Resources Officers.This month we look at:
Auxiliary Police Officers
Auxiliary Police Officers (APO) are sworn, non-compensated volunteers who contribute to the mission of the FCPD primarily in a support capacity. They serve in both operational and administrative roles.
Community members are most likely to encounter APOs in action when they perform traffic control at special events such as school and community functions, fairs, and races. APOs are also integral to efforts to make streets safer by way of DWI checkpoints and saturation patrols. APOs augment patrol officers by setting up DWI sites and directing vehicles through the checkpoint. When arrests are made, APOs may assist in arrestee transport, vehicle towing, or with reporting.
Parking violations are a frequent community concern and APOs spend significant time patrolling for handicapped parking violations, expired tags, parking in fire lanes, and other offenses.
APOs are able to assist in a range of law enforcement activities. They may, for example, cover officers at traffic stops, control traffic at crash scenes, and provide crime scene security.
APOs must undergo a six-month, 200-hour training program (weeknights and Saturdays) at the Criminal Justice Academy. It includes classroom, practical exercise, weapons range, and Emergency Vehicle Operations training. APOs are issued uniforms and equipment including pepper spray, a baton, and handcuffs. After graduation, they receive continuing in-service training. APOs must provide 24 hours of service a month. You can learn more about the APO program and how to become one at Auxiliary Police Officer | Police.
There is currently a team of five APOs at Franconia District Station, headed by a Lead APO.
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 OFC Emily Portalatin Munoz is the Officer of the Month for April. OFC Portalatin routinely shows herself to be a driven officer with a passion for investigations. She has worked several investigations in collaboration with CID, such as burglary and unlawful filming cases, which have resulted in multiple arrests. Her dedication to fully investigate a case to the end was apparent during a recent Mental Health call for service.
On April 25th, units were dispatched to a Suicide Threat where a crisis hotline had received a concerning message from an unknown subject. OFC Portalatin made use of several investigative resources to tentatively identify the subject and to locate possible phone numbers. Though most attempts went unanswered, OFC Portalatin was finally able to make contact with the subject who was initially dismissive and hesitant to talk about the incident. OFC Portalatin was able to establish a rapport with her and convinced her that speaking with a clinician at Merrifield (the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health) would be helpful. Ultimately, after a visit to Merrifield, the subject elected to seek voluntary treatment at a health facility.
OFC Portalatin’s determination to not give up on the call after numerous contact attempts were unsuccessful shows her dedication. Her efforts and patience likely changed the life of a subject in a crisis which could have ended poorly had contact not been made that night.
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