McLean Police Capt. Graham McGowen, on the job only a few months, finds himself “amazed” at the number of services coming out of his district station and going to the community. McGowen recently detailed the variety of services flowing out of his office, for the Tysons Civitan Club.
There are 133 staff members at the district station located on Balls Hill Road in McLean. “As an agency we do quite a bit. There is a variety of things we do,” said McGowen.
An aspect of the work being done at the station that intrigued several Civitans is McGowen’s plans to increase awareness and sensitivity among his staff to the needs of persons with mental or physical disabilities in the community. The Civitans work to raise money for persons with such disabilities, among other things.
“Typically, resources have not been available to the police department for people with disabilities,” said McGowen. “We’re working on that.” One way they are hoping to increase awareness is through the Mental Health Diversion Program. “This will get them [persons with disabilities who find themselves in trouble with the law] the help they really need, rather than just put them in jail,” said McGowen. “The biggest role we have as the first responders is identifying what the problem is,” said McGowen.
Kathy May, a Civitan member and advocate for the disabled with ARC said, “A person with autism can present similarly to a person on PCP, if you don’t know the difference. I have a son with autism. He’d have an attack if a policeman approached him.”
MCGOWEN EXPRESSED PRIDE in the work being done by his officers in the local schools. There are school education officers who instruct young children with familiar programs such as “Stranger Danger.”
There are also police officers in the high schools and middle schools who serve as resource officers. “It’s a good program that gives us great access in the schools. Kids love to talk, so that helps us identify what’s going on and where problems might lie,” said McGowen.
Jan Auerbach heads up the Safe Community Coalition (SCC), which works with resource officers to head off underage drinking, drug use and other illegal activities. “They are a good source as to what the issues are and what’s coming up. It’s the idea of the role model, that police are approachable. That’s a great message for kids,” said Auerbach.
As the new school year approaches, Auerbach said the resource officers will be able to help the SCC put teeth into the extracurricular activities pledge that public school students sign. The pledge is their promise not to engage in drinking or drugs on or off campus. “Many parents, unfortunately, deny their children were doing this unless there is evidence. They will be able to provide a list of students at a party, say, to the schools as evidence. They are a critical link to providing the school with the teeth they need to enforce this,” said Auerbach.
The McLean Station also provides crime prevention officers who will come out to residents’ homes to assess their safety and make suggestions on how to add security.
Another neighborhood service offered by the station is the Neighborhood Watch program. The police will help coordinate this program with citizens and help by providing a physical presence that serves as a crime deterrent. “People think the Neighborhood Watch sign is a deterrent. No, they’re not. They’re like a speed limit sign. Nobody obeys those. They obey them when there’s an officer there with a radar gun,” said McGowen.
MCGOWEN SAID HIS STATION is involved in the GREAT program: Gang Resistance Education and Training. “We’re trying to shake them away from gang activity and get them into something positive,” said McGowen of the program.
The McLean Station has several dedicated officers who cover the traditional law-enforcement role that people think of when they envision police officers.
The Criminal Investigation Section at McLean is extremely busy due to the volume of people visiting Tysons Corner and the financial transactions taking place there. “Tysons Corner in the daytime is a little city,” said McGowen, of the need for that division.
There is a neighborhood patrol unit that consists of six bicycle patrol officers cruising the area. “These are the guys you see out on their bikes and think, hey, that’s a cool assignment,” said McGowen. That unit is actually very successful because they are able to sneak up on a crime in progress without alerting criminals. “They’re looking for headlights so we can sneak up on them,” said McGowen.
The station has a crime analyst who attempts to predict trends in crime. “They can give you a sense, a clue, about where it might occur,” said McGowen.
McLean also has a traffic enforcement officer (TEO), whose job it is to monitor cars parked in and around town. “We live in a community where people like things neat and orderly,” said McGowen. The TEO will identify abandoned cars and get the blight taken away if necessary.
The McLean District Station has a number of officers and detectives that are out patrolling the street and investigating crimes. To serve the men and women in blue, the station has a chaplain, who helps officers work through issues that are unique to this type of work. “We do, at times, see some horrific things out there and at times need someone to turn to,” said McGowen. The chaplain will also go to the home of residents home who have been impacted by crime or suffered a loss and aid them.
PATROL OFFICERS ON THE STREET are the most visible to residents. McGowen said they are also the source of most of the input from the community. “The biggest comments [we get] is that we’re trying to raise revenue [through traffic tickets]. No, we’re trying to make a point. You need to slow down out there,” said McGowen.
Dranesville District supervisor Joan DuBois, whose offices are in the same building with the police department, said, “We are very fortunate as a community to have such dedicated and hard-working police officers. I wholeheartedly support the efforts of all our officers and their positive effect on our area through the normal call of duty, as well as through their outreach programs.”
McGowen summed up the operations at the station saying, “That’s a lot for 133 people.”