Sheriff Responds to Issues Raised, More Briefings Oct. 6 and Oct. 21
Sheriff Responds to Issues Raised at Sterling Community Meeting
A well-attended meeting held by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at Park View High School Tuesday night allowed residents to ask questions and raise concerns regarding public safety after recent incidents in the Sterling, Virginia area.
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman discussed recent efforts by the Loudoun Sheriff's Office to counter crime activity in the county. This included the expansion of the agency's counter-gang and counter-drug capabilities, which increased manpower, and improved relationships with our local and federal counterparts.
As part of those relationships, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office continues to work in concert with the twelve neighboring jurisdictions that are part of the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force (NVGTF), as well as participation in several Federal Task Forces, including the DEA High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. These partnerships expanded the agency's reach into regional and national databases and enables use of information collected from electronic surveillance, as well as federal street crime information during investigations.
At last night's meeting, several residents inquired about the need for an increased presence of law enforcement in the community to address quality of life issues, such as suspected gang activity, loitering and other suspicious activity.
In response to the issues raised, Loudoun County Sheriff Chapman advised Loudoun Sheriff's command staff to follow-up on the residents' comments and continue to introduce proactive measures and community outreach programs, such as increased enforcement and educational campaigns, to further address the issues. "There is a partnership between the community and law enforcement," said Sheriff Chapman. "A lot of good suggestions were made by residents Tuesday night and they know their community best. When they see anything suspicious or out of place in their neighborhood, it is important that they call the Sheriff's Office immediately," Sheriff Chapman added.
Residents are encouraged to report all suspicious activity to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office by calling 703-777-1021. Please dial 911 in an emergency.
Residents also raised questions about crime activity in the community and were concerned crime is on the rise. A review of crime trends over the past three years in the Eastern Loudoun Station shows a 9% decrease in overall crime between 2011 and 2014. Overall, serious crime in Loudoun County remains on a downward trend. Part 1 crimes (Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Rape, Robbery, Burglary, Auto Theft, and Larceny) dropped 15% between 2014 and 2015*. The Eastern Loudoun Station saw a nearly 17% decrease in serious crime during the same time period.
Reports of gang-related calls for service also saw a decrease in the area during the same time period. In 2011, Loudoun Sheriff's Deputies responded to 59 calls for service that were possibly gang-related, with a total of 12 calls in all of 2014.
In 2014, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office saw the lowest crime rate in the region. The rate of serious crimes saw 8.307 crimes per 1000 residents in Loudoun and is a 17% decrease in crime since 2012. The 2014 crime rate was the lowest crime rate reported by any of the 22 regional law enforcement agencies from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC who partner with Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). **
The Loudoun County Sheriff's encourages residents to stay involved and informed by attending future meetings held by the agency and our partners in the community.
On WEDNESDAY, October 21, 2015, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Eastern Loudoun Station will hold their quarterly meeting at 7PM.
The meeting will be held at the Eastern Loudoun Station, located at 46620 East Frederick Drive in Sterling, VA.
SEMINAR FOR PARENTS TUESDAY OCT. 6
A seminar for parents on Gang Awareness and Prevention will be held by the Loudoun County Gang Resistance Intervention Team and the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at Sterling Middle School on October 1st (English) and on October 6th (Spanish). Both meetings will begin at 6:30PM.
The presenters at last night's meeting included Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman, Captain Greg Brown, Eastern Loudoun Station Commander, Major Rich Fiano, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division (CID), Sgt. Kevin Tucker, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU), John Hetey, Gang Resistance Intervention Team (GRIT) Coordinator, Suzanne Devlin, Loudoun County Public Schools Department of Safety and Security, and Deputy First Class Dale Spurlock, a Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Specialist.
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* Statistics reported between January 1, 2014-August 31, 2015 and January 1, 2015-August 31, 2015.
** MWCOG Annual Report on Crime and Crime Control.