Capt. Dean Lay, commander of the Sully District Police Station, gave a station update last week to those attending the Jan. 9 meeting of its Citizen Advisory Committee. And it was bad news for pedestrians.
“Two pedestrians were run over by cars at night over the holidays,” he said. “So we created pamphlets to hand out for safe crossing of the roads by pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.” This information will also be in Supervisor Kathy Smith’s (D-Sully) website.
Lay said both pedestrians died. “They weren’t in crosswalks and were in dangerous, 35-mph areas,” he said. “They were wearing black [and it was dark outside]. One person had headphones on while jogging, and one was looking at his phone while entering the road. The drivers felt horrible; no one fled.”
Before starting to cross a road, said Lay, pedestrians should “always look both ways, look in the driver’s eyes and be prepared to go back. We looked with Supervisor Smith to see if there are places where we can improve the street lighting and also have more crosswalks that are painted.”
“This past year, 17 pedestrians in Fairfax County were hit by a car – and 15 were fatal,” he said. “Fourteen of the pedestrians were at fault; one driver was charged with speeding and one, with texting. Alcohol was involved in four of the 15 crashes. Most of these incidents happened in the fall, with the most common times being between 9-11 p.m., 5-8 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.”
Lay also noted that the station’s Drug Take Back program began last week, with a green mailbox placed permanently in the lobby so residents may get rid of their outdated and/or no-longer-needed medications.
In addition, he praised the station’s Bike Team officers who worked with Fair Oaks Bike Team members to apprehend the man charged with unlawfully videotaping females at Fair Oaks Mall. Police believe this person may have filmed as many as 60 victims at various shopping centers in the county. Proud of his Sully Bike Team officers, Lay said, “They did some good police work to catch this person.”