The Connection

Seeing a group of elementary school children standing around a bomb-disposal robot would normally be cause for concern, but that’s exactly what happened during Saturday’s Reston District Police Station Open House.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Reston residents were invited to visit the new North County Governmental Building, which shares its space with the police station, and interact with officers and exhibits.

“It shows the public a different side of us,” said PFC Katy Defoe, the crime prevention officer at the Reston District Station.

According to Defoe, the event helps children and families see what police officers really look like on duty in case of an emergency. She said the event helps to connect residents with the station, which is usually better at showing up during a crisis than displaying its features for fun.

Residents could look at exhibits such as the marine patrol and police motorcycles. They were free to walk through an ambulance or fire truck, and even pet a police dog — a black lab named Tucker.

“I think it was really good to put out so many vehicles for the kids to satisfy their curiosity,” said Reston resident Yvonne Downie. While Downie and her husband, Craig, enjoyed seeing a real police helicopter, their daughter Isla’s favorite part of the day was petting Tucker.

In addition to curious children, adults were able to get a better look at “what resources the county has to provide assistance when they require it,” said Fire Technician Rony Avalos.

Avalos said it was important for people to see the safety level the county provides, “not just to [Reston] residents, but to visitors.”

According to Defoe, this was the first open house the station held since 2011, due to construction on the North County Governmental Center. The new building increases the police station from around 16,000 square feet to more than 36,000 square feet.

Visitors could take a tour of the new station, which boasts two floors, something Defoe says is fairly unique. Although the top floor holds offices for the station commander and assistant commander, most police officers work from their cars when on duty.

The bottom floor houses an exercise room for officers who are encouraged to work out throughout the day. It also has a room for cleaning weapons, and one for filing paperwork at the end of the day, among others.

“It’s a great opportunity to say thank you to some of the firemen, policemen and other response workers for everything they do.”

--Anna Buchanan of Reston

Officer Brian Bowman, who is part of the Marine Patrol Unit, stressed that members of the police department are “very open and approachable.” Bowman hopes events like these will teach community members “not to fear or be worried about talking to us or approaching us.”

Anna Buchanan, a Reston resident, said she loved being able to take the kids out for the event and seeing the resources available to them.

Although the open house primarily allowed officers to reach out to the community, some residents, like Buchanan, enjoyed the ability to give back.

“It’s a great opportunity to say thank you to some of the firemen, policemen and other response workers for everything they do,” said Buchanan.