One person has been taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a crash in McLean today (Thursday), according to Fairfax County police.
Police received the call shortly after noon for a collision involving two vehicles at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Swinks Mill Road, police spokesperson Tara Gerhard told Tysons Reporter.
One person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Gerhard said.
As of 12:50 p.m., traffic is backed up a short distance along both roads near the intersection, according to Google Maps. Gerhard said that she was not notified of any road or lane closures.
Map via Google Maps
The police department in Falls Church says scammers are calling people, threatening them with arrests to get their money and personal information.
The city sent out an alert yesterday (Wednesday) about the scam after several residents reported callers said the residents had outstanding arrest warrants.
“The caller claims to be an officer with the City of Falls Church Police Department and demands immediate payment for an alleged fine,” the city’s announcement said. “Through threats and intimidation, the caller attempts to convince residents to purchase prepaid debit cards and provide the identification numbers which allows the scammers to obtain the money from the cards.”
A survey by Provision Living, which offers senior living, found that robocalls are becoming more common for seniors. COVID-19 scams and robocalls are reportedly on the rise around the country.
The alert said that people who get a call from someone claiming to be from the city’s police department should hang up and call the police non-emergency line at 703-241-5053 (TTY 711).
“The City of Falls Church Police Department is reminding citizens that agency representatives have never and will never call to solicit funds or collect fines,” the alert said.
Here’s advice from the police department on how to spot spam calls:
- be suspicious of unsolicited calls
- never use the phone number from the caller to verify their credibility
- never give money or personal information to the caller
- if a call makes you suspicious, hang up
Photo by Jonah Pettrich on Unsplash
Updated 3:40 p.m. — The Fairfax County Police Department said around 3:30 p.m. that all of the road closures have been resolved.
Earlier: Several roads are closed in the Tysons area due to the storm.
The Fairfax County Police Department shared an updated list of weather-related road closures around the county this morning.
Currently, the Tysons area is under a Flash Flood Watch and Flood Warning today as Tropical Storm Isaias moves through the D.C. region.
Road closures:
- Old Courthouse and Besley roads: high water
- Old Dominion Drive and Swinks Mill Road: tree blocking the roadway
- Idylwood Court and Idylwood Road: tree on power line over the roadway
- Friden and Hillside drives: tree blocking the roadway
Browns Mill and Beulah roads: high water
Use the map below to find the Tysons-area road closures. Tysons Reporter will update this article and map as more information becomes available or if the road closures change.
Driving through flooded roadways can be deadly. Watch & share this @NWS video to see why: https://t.co/8oJR2M7tNs #TurnAroundDontDrown
— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) August 4, 2020
The Fairfax County Police Department has launched a new webpage to help investigate cold cases in Fairfax County, which include several in the Tysons area.
The platform houses case information spanning 60 years in the hope that anyone with information will come forward to help resolve the cases. Cold case detectives are asking the public to provide any information about the cases — no matter how small.
“We are committing countless hours and all available resources to close these cases and provide long-awaited answers to victims’ families, and bring those who committed these awful crimes to justice,” said Major Ed O’Carroll, the bureau commander of major crimes.
The website currently provides a limited list of cases, including several local ones. More cases will be added as detectives comb through existing incidents.
Cases are categorized by decade and include a description of the incident, a photo and the date of the incident. As of today, 20 of the cases occurred in the Tysons area — mostly in and surrounding Falls Church.
In 2001, the remains of a woman were found near a drainage ditch on the 1500 block of Lincoln Circle in McLean. The woman was likely shot, according to police. Jewelry and clothing were found at the scene.
In other cases, the identity of the victim is known. For example, Jerome McKagen was found shot to death in his Tysons home on George Washington Road in 1992.
Another incident that rocked the local community was the mysterious death of a couple and their 16-year-old son in 1999. Faud Taima, 63, Dorothy Taima, 54, and their son Leith Taima were found dead in their home. Faud was involved in business dealings in Iraq.
To provide information, people can:
- contact the Major Crimes Bureau: 703-246-7800, option 8
- submit tips anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by texting “FCCS” plus tip to 847411 or online
- download the Mobile tip411 App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”
The police department says that anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100-$1,000 dollars if their information leads to an arrest.
The cold case squad was founded in 1995 and is housed under FCPD’s major crimes bureau. It investigates unresolved homicides and sex crimes in Fairfax County.
Photo via Bill Oxford/Unsplash
Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk has released a new website that serves as a one-stop-shop for all previous and future law enforcement data in Fairfax County to increase transparency.
Lusk, who is also the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisor’s Public Safety Committee, said the project was launched in response to residents’ requests for clear and detailed data from the Fairfax County Police Department.
The website aggregates all public safety data into one location, including FCPD’s annual report, reports by the police auditor, arrest and traffic citation dates for 2019 and other resources.
“This is about accountability and transparency,” Lusk said in a video announcing the website.
The platform also includes a police reform matrix that tracks the progress of suggested reforms. This year, the board’s Public Safety Committee began pooling together a matrix of reforms. The status of each reform will be updated on the online document as information becomes available.
Lusk noted that the website will change in response to input and feedback from the community.
Photo via YouTube
The Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Falls Church is looking to move forward discussions about police reform in the community.
The City of Falls Church announced today that the library will host an online forum next Wednesday (Aug. 5).
The panelists for the event include the city’s police chief, the president of the Fairfax County NAACP and the city’s HR director. Jennifer Carroll, the library’s director, will moderate the event.
“Learn more about the national Mayor’s Pledge (which was signed by Mayor [David] Tarter in June); the City’s Use of Force Review Committee; the principles of 21st century policing; and what issues lie behind the ‘defund police’ movement,” according to the event description.
The event is set to start at 7 p.m. People can register for the Zoom event by emailing [email protected].
File photo
Several roads are closed in the McLean area following a storm.
The Fairfax County Police Department shared a list of weather-related road closures around the county.
As of 6 p.m., the closures in the McLean District Station area include:
- 1000 block of Balls Hill Road (traffic hazard, tree and wires blocking roadway)
- 1200 block of Providence Terrace (traffic hazard, tree blocking roadway)
- 8000 block of Georgetown Pike (traffic hazard, tree blocking roadway-right lane)
- Leesburg Pike/Towlston Road (traffic signal, lights on flash)
Currently, a Flood Warning is in effect until 9 p.m.
Heat Advisory Today — It’s going to be hot today. A Heat Advisory will be in effect from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Forecasters say that people should drink lots of fluids and stay out of the sun. [National Weather Service]
Local Elected Official Battling Cancer — “Long-serving Falls Church City Council member Dan Sze is fighting esophageal cancer, F.C. Mayor David Tarter reported at the outset of Monday night’s Falls Church City Council work session.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Push for Criminal Justice Reform — “Five commonwealth’s attorneys from Northern Virginia have joined with six other prosecutors from around the state in forming an advocacy group to back criminal justice reform proposals.” [Inside NoVa]
Police Officer Indicted — “A grand jury indicted a white Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer accused of assaulting a Black man who, police body camera footage showed, was not combative when he was stunned and forcibly arrested.” [WTOP]
Earlier this week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved proposals to move forward several police reform efforts.
On Tuesday, the board approved a board matter by Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn that pushes the county to dispatch unarmed medical, mental health and human services workers for incidents involving mental and behavioral health issues.
County staff will review the local dispatch and response system in order to “enhance our Diversion First strategies by implementing systems for the deployment of trained unarmed medical, human services, and mental health professionals in instances where mental and behavioral health are the principal reason for the call.”
The new system would model Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS), an approach adopted in Eugene, Oregon since 1989. The county will determine if a similar approach is suitable for Fairfax County based on potential initial costs, long-term budget savings, overall feasibility, and the expected impact on service.
The county’s Public Safety Committee will review the county’s findings and offer a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors by Oct. 1.
Roughly 20% of calls that FCPD officers respond to are primarily related to mental and behavioral health crises. Currently, only 40 percent of county officers are trained in crisis intervention.
In a board matter, Lusk noted that FCPD should “endeavor to be the smartest” and not only the “safest” jurisdiction of its size in the nation.
Body camera footage of a white Fairfax County firing a stun gun at a Black man in Gum Springs led Lusk and Alcorn to push for the board matter. Officer Tyler Timberlake shot La Monta Gladney with a stun gun and used his knee to hold him down. Gladney was speaking incoherently prior to the use of force incident as officers persuaded him to go to a detox center.
The board also approved a board matter from Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw and Chairman Jeff McKay that encourages the General Assembly to consider police reform efforts.
The General Assembly tentatively plans to meet in August for a special session to talk about the state budget.
Walkinshaw and McKay’s board matter asks that Virginia legislators look into five areas:
- adequate funding for courts, public defenders and commonwealth’s attorneys
- create a statewide database for officer misconduct
- improve data transparency, especially for use of force reports
- funding for strong civilian review panels
- funding process for body-worn cameras
“While we do thorough background checks on our police hires in Fairfax County, a statewide standard for data collection could provide benefits for all police departments as they make hiring decisions,” the board matter says.
The board matter notes that while it’s Police Civilian Review Panel helps with accountability, the state should consider funding the panels so that other localities can create their own ones.
The board approved sending the list to Fairfax County’s General Assembly delegation.
Catherine Douglas Moran contributed reporting
Return to School — “As the school year approaches, new information is being revealed about how Falls Church City Public Schools will reopen. For the school district’s two elementary schools, there will be space to accommodate all students with social distancing, Superintendent Peter Noonan says.” [Falls Church Patch]
Donations Needed — “Homestretch, a nonprofit organization that helps families achieve self-sufficiency and permanent housing, put out a wish list of items that it is asking for in the form of community donations to support its clients during the Covid-19 pandemic.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Police Reform — “Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to review the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch and response systems. The aim is to enhance Diversion First strategies so that unarmed medical, human services, and mental health professionals are dispatched in response to calls where mental and behavioral health issues are involved.” [Vienna Patch]
