FAIRFAX, Va. — Fairfax County Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are partnering together for the Northern Virginia Violent Crime Task Force.
Supervisors approved an agreement between both agencies last week to better investigate violent crimes affiliated with firearms and illegal narcotics trafficking in Fairfax County.
“This cooperative effort would be advantageous in disrupting illicit activities,” Chairman of the Public Safety and Security Committee Rodney Lusk said.
The task force’s goals per the memorandum of understanding are to:
- Disrupt illicit firearms trafficking and narcotics trafficking in Fairfax County, Virginia by identifying, targeting, arresting, and referring for prosecution traffickers, suppliers, and trafficking organizations, while seizing illicit firearms.
- Conduct undercover operations, when appropriate, and engage in other traditional methods of criminal investigation to ensure the Task Force’s activities result in the effective prosecution of offenders in federal and/or state court.
- Develop human intelligence and confidential informants for the purpose of identifying and targeting individuals and organizations responsible for illicit firearms trafficking and violent crime.
- Target, investigate, apprehend, and refer for prosecution those individuals and groups supplying illicit firearms to Fairfax County, Virginia from outside the geographic boundaries.
The officers assigned to the task force will be located in the ATF field office in Falls Church. The MOU is expected to last until September 2028.
Addressing violent crimes comes soon after Fairfax County recently saw a highly unusual violent spurt. There were three unrelated deadly shootings in Bailey’s Crossroads, Centreville, and Fair Haven between May 15 and May 21. Investigators arrested a suspect in each of the cases.
Recent data shows there’s a been a slight drop in homicides, robberies and sex offenses in 2023 compared to the year before. However, assaults have seen a bigger increase.
There have been eight homicides so far this year versus 10 in the same time frame in 2023.
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