Fairfax County Sheriff's Office

The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, officially the Fairfax County Office of the Sheriff, serves a population of 1,116,897 residents in Fairfax County, Virginia, a Northern Virginian suburb of Washington, D.C. It is the largest Sheriff's Office in Virginia with nearly 600 sworn deputies. The Sheriff and her deputies are fully sworn law enforcement officers with full arrest powers within Fairfax County, City of Fairfax and the Towns of Herndon and Vienna. The Sheriff's Office assists the Fairfax County Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to maintain peace and order in Fairfax County.

Fairfax County Office of the Sheriff
Patch of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office
Seal of Fairfax County
Flag of Fairfax County
Common nameFairfax County Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationFCSO
Agency overview
Formed1742
Employees608
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionFairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Size407 square miles (1,050 km2)
Population1,116,897
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersFairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Deputy Sheriffs518
Civilians90
Agency executive
Facilities
Jails1
Website
Official Website

History
A Fairfax County Sheriff's Office cruiser in 2009

The Sheriff's Office was formed in 1742 when Fairfax County was created from Prince William County, Virginia. The sheriff is a position established under the Virginia Constitution.[1] The sheriff is elected every four years. There have been 70 elected sheriffs in Fairfax County. The current Sheriff is Stacey Kincaid, who was first elected in 2013.[2]

The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office responsibilities have changed since its inception. It was the primary law enforcement agency in the County until 1940. That year Sheriff Eppa P. Kirby persuaded the Virginia General Assembly to separate the law enforcement role of the county police from the Sheriff's Office. On July 1, 1940, the Fairfax County Police Department became a separate agency under the control of Board of Supervisors.[3]

Overview

The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office is a paramilitary organization with a rank structure.

  • Sheriff
  • Chief Deputy
  • Major
  • Captain
  • 1st Lieutenant
  • 2nd Lieutenant
  • Sergeant
  • Master Deputy Sheriff
  • Deputy Sheriff - Private First Class
  • Deputy Sheriff

Deputy sheriffs begin their training at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy in Chantilly, Virginia. The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office attends the police academy with the Fairfax County, Herndon and Vienna Police Departments.

Divisions
Sheriff Stacey Kincaid appearing in a parade in July 2016

Adult Detention Facility

The Adult Detention Center serves as the County jail in Fairfax. It is unique in the nation because it provides all three forms of jail housing—linear, podular remote, and direct supervision. The average daily population is about 1200 inmates.

Inmates await trial and sentencing, or release after completing their sentence. The jail holds criminals with all types of offenses from, murder to drunk in public.

Civil Enforcement

The Sheriff's Office provides the service of civil documents including court capias and court orders of the Virginia Court System. The Sheriff's Office also is responsible for executing eviction orders and levies.

Court Security

The Sheriff's Office provides security for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and the Fairfax County Judicial Center (Jennings Building), both located in Fairfax County's Public Safety Complex. The Judicial Center is one of the busiest courthouses in Virginia with an average of 3,500 persons entering the center daily.

Additionally the Sheriff's Office provides security for the courts in the towns of Vienna and Herndon and the City of Fairfax. Security is provided for the judges, staff and visitors.

The Sheriff's Office also is responsible for escorting in excess of 17,000 prisoners to and from these courts each year.

Community Relations

Honor Guard

The Honor Guard represents the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office at numerous events both locally and nationally.

Project Lifesaver

The Sheriff's office assists families and caregivers of individuals with Autism, Down syndrome, Alzheimer's and related diseases and disabilities. Clients wear a wristband that emits a silent tracking signal. Deputies that respond to a family member that is lost can locate these individuals.

Community Labor Force

This section provides a substantial savings to the tax payers of Fairfax County by maintaining the grounds at numerous County facilities. The labor force removes graffiti and cleans county right of ways of trash. Labor crews consist of well screened non-violent offenders.

Sheriff's Emergency Response Team

This tactical arm of the Sheriff's Office is trained to handle high risk cell extractions in the Adult Detention Center, hostage, riot and barricade situations in facilities maintained by the Sheriff's Office. High risk transports, judiciary and executive protection, and high risk court trials. This unit is also trained in civil disturbance management and provides mutual aid to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Crisis Negotiation Team

The Sheriff's Office Crisis Negotiation Team responds to the scene of all hostage or barricade situations in facilities maintained by the Sheriff's Office. Through verbal communications, its members protect the lives of all hostages, bystanders, deputy sheriffs, and suspects. Their primary objective is to secure the release of all hostages and facilitate the apprehension of all suspects.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, one officer has died in the line of duty.[4]

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See also

References
  1. "Constitution of Virginia - Article VII. Local Government". Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  2. Chandler, Michael Alison; Binkovitz, Leah (2013-11-05). "Stacey Kincaid is elected Fairfax County's first female sheriff". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
  3. "Fairfax County Police Headed By McIntosh: New Setup Created By Assembly; Sheriff Still Jail Head". The Washington Post. 30 June 1940. ProQuest 151320923.
  4. "Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, VA". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
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