For more than 14 years, the Fairfax County Police Department has offered information about calls for service using a web-based mapping system.
The latest platform — which recently took on a new name after CrimeReports.com merged with Motorola — is called CityProtect.
Although the platform now has a different name following the merger, FCPD Sgt. Tara Gerhard says the features are the same. The department’s internal reporting system connects with the website to automatically publish an interactive map.
The service is free, and users can sign up to receive alerts. Users can also filter the data based on the type of incident and the date.
“CityProtect provides a convenient, web-based platform which allows us to continue to be transparent with our community by sharing local police-related information,” Gerhard said.
Incidents like domestic violence, traffic-related incidents, and homicides are not captured by the platform.
FCPD also recently launched a new data dashboard, which provides public information about arrests, citations, warnings and department training procedures and other policies.
Image via CityProtect
The trajectory of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County continues its upward climb this week.
As of today (Monday), the trailing weekly average of new cases hit 471, with an all-time high reported on Saturday when cases hit a weekly average of 505.
While the county’s caseload continues to break all local records, the acceleration of new cases reported daily seems to have slowed slightly.
Nonetheless, the county reported the highest number of daily cases — 725 — last week on Dec. 7. Overall, the case trajectory continues to be exponential over the last month, suggesting that community transmission is occurring.
Another measure to determine community spread — the test rate positivity — remained high this week. The county’s rate is 10.6 percent, slightly down from last week’s rate of 11.5 percent. The state’s rate is 10.9 percent.
New statewide restrictions went into effect today, including a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m., a 10-person cap on social gatherings, and an expanded mandatory mask requirement.
An initial shipment of the Pfizer vaccine was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration last week. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam stated that the Commonwealth would receive its first shipment within the following 24 to 48 hours with initial distribution targeted toward healthcare workers and long-term care facilities.
Meanwhile, the county is urging residents to celebrate the holidays with the people in their immediate household.
“We must find a way to recognize our traditions without putting ourselves and others at risk,” said Fairfax County Health Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu.
Here are some shopping tips for a healthy, safe and enjoyable holiday 🛍️
Check out our recommendations for family celebrations and entertainment: https://t.co/U2eRplxu3k pic.twitter.com/CpqHqa5TR9
— FairfaxCounty Health (@fairfaxhealth) December 13, 2020
Image via CDC on Unsplash
Cash will no longer be accepted at the Dulles Toll Road beginning next year.
The decision, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, was made in response to customers’ preferences for electronic toll payments, according to a statement released yesterday by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
No loose change will be accepted, and tollbooth change baskets will be removed as part of the permanent move.
Here’s more information from MWAA on acceptable forms of payment:
Any lane can be used with a valid E-ZPass account or other form of electronic tolling. Customers can visit E-ZPass Virginia for information on how to obtain an E-ZPass. If toll-lane cameras identify a license plate associated with an E-ZPass account, that account will be charged for the transaction even if an E-ZPass is not present in the vehicle.
To make it easier to get an E-ZPass, the minimum opening account balance has been temporarily reduced to $20 per transponder (from $35) for online and phone applications. E-Z Pass also offers a reloadable Virginia E-Z Pass Card, these can be purchased your local CVS Pharmacy and 7-11 Convenience Stores.
The GoToll, Slora and Peasey Drive On smartphone apps are also accepted as payment.
Motorists passing through all toll plaza lanes without electronic payment will be sent a payment notice by mail. Missed tolls which are paid within six days of the violation will not be charged an administrative fee. Customers are encouraged to visit the Virginia Department of Transportation’s online toll violation payment website for information on proactively paying missed tolls.
In early April, manual toll collecting was suspended in response to COVID-19. All personnel from toll booths were removed, and cash-exchange toll collections were suspended.
Electronic tolling became the preferred method of payment in 2003, when more than $18 million was collected with E-ZPass, compared to roughly $17 million collected in cash that calendar year.
In 2017, roughly $130 million was collected via E-ZPass while nearly $18 million was collected by cash, according to a 2018 study by the MWAA.
Photo via MWAA
The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County has reached an all-time high as of this weekend, far surpassing the previous peak immediately after Thanksgiving weekend and previous records over the summer.
The county recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day today (Monday) — 617 — since the pandemic began earlier this year. Both numbers exceed case counts that hovered around 500 on Thanksgiving weekend and when cases first peaked in June.
Cases also continue to soar statewide. Virginia shattered previous records on Sunday by recording 3,880 new cases. Over the summer, cases peaked at 2,015.
The latest numbers suggest that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is surging with more strength than ever before, even as the reality of a new vaccine materializes.
Hospitalizations in the state and in the county also continue to climb.
Fairfax County reported 20 new hospitalizations today (Monday) for a seven-day average of 15 daily new hospitalizations, the highest rate since early June. The 53 new hospitalizations reported on May 3 remains the county’s peak.
Another measure to determine community transmission — the weekly test positive rate — also continues to increase. The state’s test positivity rate is 10.8 percent while the county’s is at 11.5 percent. VDH updates data on the COVID-19 pandemic once a day at 5 p.m.
The county and the state have been preparing for the dispersal of a vaccine, which could have federal approval as early as this month. The Virginia Department of Health announced on Dec. 4 that the state is expecting to receive an estimated 480,000 doses of vaccine by the end of the year, a sizable increase from the roughly 70,000 doses that Gov. Ralph Northam previously stated Virginia would get in its first shipment.
Photo via Virginia Department of Health
Fairfax County officials are in the early phases of considering the implementation of a five-cent tax on plastic bags.
In March, the Virginia General Assembly passed a state bill that allows municipalities to collect taxes on disposable bags. Gov. Ralph Northam signed the bill on April 10.
Jurisdictions can levy taxes on disposable plastic bags given by grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores. Tax revenues are allocated for environmental cleanup, pollution and litter management, educational programs to reduce environmental waste, and the funding of reusable bags to recipients of federal food support programs.
The Virginia Department of Taxation estimates the tax could generate between $20.8 million to $24.9 million in annual aggregate local revenues across the state.
A board matter approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in late July also directs the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination to create a plan to implement the plastic bag fee next year.
In a Nov. 30 memo to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill said county departments are currently “exploring the issues associated with development and implementation of a plastic bag tax ordinance.” Other jurisdictions like Arlington County have cited concerns about adopting the tax amid a pandemic due to equity-related issues.
Hill noted that several ambiguities in the state’s ordinance need to be addressed. For example, the ordinance does not explicitly define what constitutes a convenience store and offers scant information on how tax commissioners will enforce the tax and issue penalties for non-compliance.
“At least at this time, there appears to be no mechanism to contest a retailer’s categorization short of a court challenge and sufficient facts to support a locality’s different categorization,” Hill wrote.
The county anticipates launching a public engagement process, including public meetings and an online survey, to gauge input on the move.
If the Board of Supervisors directs staff to create a plastic bag ordinance, county departments would launch a second public engagement process and consult with county entities like the Environmental Quality Advisory Council prior to consideration by the board.
The board will discuss the issue at an Environmental Committee meeting tomorrow (Dec. 8).
Photo by Griffin Wooldridge/Unsplash
Abandoned shopping carts are likely to stay put in Fairfax County.
County staff is recommending against adopting any legislation that would allow the county to remove abandoned shopping carts and charge a maximum $300 fine to the owner.
The Virginia General Assembly enacted legislation this year enabling jurisdictions to adopt stricter legal measures to contain the spread of carts in the area.
If the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves the measure, the county can warn the owner of a cart to remove it after fifteen days. The owner would be charged a fee of up to $300 per cart. If someone is using a cart outside the premises of the cart owner, the county could collect a fine of up to $500.
It’s unclear how pervasive the abandoned shopping cart problem is in the county.
County staff note the legislation could help reduce the “visual clutter” of unused and neglected shopping carts in the area, especially if they’re in the way of roads and sidewalks, but it would also be incredibly challenging to enforce the legislation and keep shopping carts at bay.
“Enabling legislation falls short of that needed to establish an effective shopping cart ordinance for the county,” according to meeting materials.
Staff suggested that the county consider new legislation that would require businesses to monitor, control, and prevent cart removal.
More outreach and education about the issue, along with the voluntary implementation of an “abandoned cart prevention plan,” was also suggested.
The board’s Land Use Policy Committee is expecting to take up the issue at a Dec. 8 meeting.
Photo via David Clarke/Unsplash
With the emergency approval of a COVID-19 vaccine expected before 2021, county officials are one step closer to getting ready for mass vaccination planning.
At a meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 1), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept a $500,000 state grant for the county’s mass vaccination program. Funds will be available through the state’s $22 million Coronavirus Relief Fund, which will be used to create a statewide program to distribute the vaccine once it is available.
Two companies — Pfizer and Moderna — are awaiting emergency authorizations of their vaccines in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug and Administration is expected to authorize the approvals in mid-December.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee on immunization practices voted earlier this week to make the first priority group health care workers and long-term care residents.
The county’s program also allocates roughly $14 million to help local health districts like the Fairfax Health District prepare for mass vaccination efforts. The grant must be used for facility rental costs, hiring for temporary positions, travel costs, printing, signage, and other expenses related to operating vaccination clinics.
Fairfax County Executive Brian Hill said his health department is actively working on a vaccination plan for the county “as we speak.” He noted that the county’s plan will depend heavily on the state’s strategy and other conditions, including who will receive the vaccine first.
“Once we know the particulars, we will have a plan in place per the Virginia Department of Health guidelines,” Hill said.
A county-based mass vaccination workgroup has been meeting since mid-June to discuss vaccination plans.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn urged the county to provide information on how the plan would be administered. He added that lines for the H1N1 vaccine program rivaled the lines the county recently saw for early voting.
“I just want to make sure we see what the plan is particularly as it relates to logistics,” he said.
Funds from the state grant must be spent by the end of the month, after which point unspent dollars will revert back to the state. However, county staff noted that the federal government could extend the date for the overall program. Acceptance of the grant requires no local match.
State officials are also considering other funding sources to support next year’s vaccination program. The Virginia Department of Health estimates that the program will cost $120 million.
Virginia is expected to get a little over 70,000 doses in the first shipment from Pfizer.
“When our turn comes, my family and I will have no hesitancy about getting vaccinated, and I strongly encourage every Virginian to get the vaccine. That is our only path to getting back to that near normal,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a press briefing yesterday (Wednesday).
Image via Hyttalo Souza/Unsplash
Updated on 12/2/2020 — The McLean Metro Station is one of 19 stations that would close if the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority adopts a new budget proposed for Fiscal Year 2022.
The stations being considered for closure were identified based on low ridership levels or their proximity to another Metro station. They were all shut down earlier this year as part of Metro’s efforts to conserve resources during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WMATA said on Mar. 24 that the McLean Metro Station only recorded 148 Metrorail trips the previous day, making it among the least frequented stations in the system.
The Greensboro Metro Station is also on the list for potential closure, since it is within less than a mile of the Spring Hill and Tysons stations.
The potential station closures are among several drastic cuts on the table as WMATA attempts to fill a nealry $500 million deficit in its upcoming budget.
Scheduled for discussion during the WMATA Board of Directors’ finance committee meeting on Friday (Dec. 4), the proposal also suggests eliminating all weekend rail service, limiting weekday train service to every half hour, and slashing bus service from 60 to 41 routes.
Under the proposal, Metro would offer an “affordable bare-bones service network to sustain essential travel and support the region’s recovery.” Ridership would be reduced to around 45% of pre-pandemic levels, and the system would only operate from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.
The proposal also calls for the elimination of 2,400 jobs in addition to workforce cuts already enacted this year.
“We’re facing, obviously, a historic budget crisis. It started in [Fiscal Year] ’21 and will continue in ’22,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said.
Metro could possibly avoid this grim outlook if Congress passes another federal COVID-19 relief package that with funding for public transit. According to the American Public Transit Association, public transit needs $32 billion just to survive.
Metro was awarded $800 million from the CARES Act in May — funding that runs out early next year.
“The latest proposed cuts to WMATA employees and service is a crisis for our region and frankly, the country,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a statement. “…Congress needs to step in immediately to fund WMATA and the countless ripple effects these cuts will have.”
If WMATA adopts Wiedefeld’s proposed budget, the 19 stations that would be closed could reopen based on the financial health of Metro.
The opening of additional Silver Line stations into Loudoun County will not be affected by the budget slashes, according to the presentation.
Metro’s fiscal year begins in July. Public hearings and outreach campaigns are planned until March.
Angela Woolsey contributed reporting
Staff Photo by Jay Westcott
As Thanksgiving approaches, Fairfax County reported the highest weekly average of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began earlier this year. The news comes as the county and state record peaks in the number of new cases reported and appear to confirm fears of a second wave of cases.
Even as the possibility of a vaccine becomes reality, health officials are urging residents to avoid celebrating the holiday with members outside ones’ household, if possible.
As of today (Monday), the state’s health department reported 453 new cases, second only to the highest number of new cases (493) per day that was reported on June 25. To date, the county has had 38,798 cases, 2,474 hospitalizations and 614 deaths.
Based on the current trajectory of cases, more evidence shows that cases have been growing at an exponential rate in the county over the last month.
The county’s test positivity rate is 8.3 percent, more than one percentage point higher than the statewide test positive rate, which is currently 7.2 percent. In the state, 3,242 new cases were reported today, according to state health data.
Similar surges have been detected regionally recently.
“The number of new COVID-19 cases in the Fairfax and Loudoun health districts is officially surging, according to new analysis from the University of Virginia, and the Northern Virginia region’s overall caseload is at its highest level since it peaked May 31,” Inside NOVA reported.
The Virginia Department of Health attributed some of today’s case counts to “a catch-up from the VDH data system being down for upgrades for a few hours this weekend.”
Hospitalizations, however, remain relatively low in the county. Two new hospitalizations were reported today, and no new deaths were reported.
Photo via Unsplash; graph via Fairfax County Department of Health
The Fairfax County Police Department is seeking a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for additional non-ballistic riot helmets with riot face shields.
With the unanimous approval of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a Tuesday meeting, FCPD will apply for $114,017 in funding through the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) in order to purchase 370 helmets and face shields.
Currently, FCPD has 120 riot helmets which are primarily used by its Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU). JAG grants are used to provide states and units of local government to support law enforcement equipment, crime prevention programs, technological improvements, and other resources.
In a staff memo, Deputy County Executive David Rohrer and FCPD Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. noted that the purpose of the grant is to replace some aged equipment, boost office safety, and “increase the capability of the police department to respond to incidents of civil unrest within Fairfax County.”
“Protective equipment is not required for every situation CDU handles, but must be available when needed to protect officers,” they wrote.
Jeff McKay, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, clarified that the riot gear is not military-grade and no county dollars will be used for the effort.
“It is for the protection of those officers should something be needed but obviously these are personal protective devices, not military-grade equipment, that could be deployed in the event of civil unrest, which we’ve been blessed not to have here in Fairfax County,” McKay said at the Tuesday meeting.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who supported the grant application, also sought additional clarification on the purpose of more riot gear.
“We’re not exactly anticipating a dramatic upsurge in civil unrest are we? I wouldn’t think we are,” Alcorn said, adding that the board “reinforces the right to peaceful protest.”
“We’re not going to down a different road with approval of this,” Alcorn said.
Photo via FCPD
