The Connection

“I wanted to see it first hand,” Morgan said.

For six hours, he traveled around Mount Vernon where he witnessed all the activity the police encounter on a daily basis which included checking on an elderly resident, an armed person situation where the helicopter was called in and one violent crime.

On one occasion, some children found a cell phone and brought it to the police officer’s attention. “It was nice to see, they wanted to do the right thing,” Morgan said. Another incident involved checking on an elderly resident which did not require flashing lights or a warrant. “I ran the gamut of emotions,” Morgan said. 

But there was a call where the squad car was traveling at higher speeds with the lights flashing and that gained his attention.

The extremes the officers go through were surprising to him and he could see the officers had to adapt quickly.

He did see the challenges encountered throughout this county district, which has a high number of police calls compared to some of the other districts. From Friday, May 19, through Thursday, May 25, officers around the county responded to 7,808 calls for service. That’s an average of 1,115 calls for service a day. Of those nearly 8,000 calls, 649 were vehicle crash calls, 220 were for persons experiencing a mental health crisis and 241 were domestic-related calls for service, the FCPD reported.

At the Mount Vernon District Station, there are 157 people on the staff, which includes 126 sworn officers and 31 civilians, which could be auxiliary officers, crossing guards, police citizen aides, crime analyst and administrative aide. The Mount Vernon District is approximately 26 square miles and encompasses the Richmond Highway corridor from the City of Alexandria on the north to Fort Belvoir on the south. It contains the Mount Vernon Estate and Garden, Woodlawn Plantation, Fort Hunt National Park, and Huntley Meadows Park.

"The Mount Vernon Police District is among the most diverse police districts in the county in terms of race, ethnicity and socioeconomics," FCPD information read. Morgan lives in Stratford Landing and is in his second year as the president of the Stratford Landing Civic Association, so he’s well entrenched with his community. One of the officers he rode with was also a Mount Vernon resident.

Morgan could see that there was some level of distrust with the people on the street, and this could be where some problems arise. “I don’t think everyone is coming together,” he said. Especially when the police armored vehicle is called in, which might be a little heavy handed, he said. “It builds on the us vs them mindset,” he added.

Helicopter Called In

In the early morning hours of Morgan’s ride-along, there was a call about an armed person over in the Huntington area that involved a suspected stolen vehicle. Squad cars arrived in number and the police helicopter. They all worked in coordination. “It was a very professional operation,” Morgan said.

Ride-alongs with the police can be done by any county resident, with a request form on the FCPD website. After the form is filled out, shift supervisor designates the officer to do the ride-along, said Fairfax County Police Sergeant Jacob Pearce. In 2022, there were 36 ride-a-longs and so far in 2023, there have been 60, Pearce said.

The form directions say that the applicant has to be a resident of the district they intend to ride through, they have to be a member of a civic association or business in the county and "demonstrate a special interest for participation that would benefit the police department, county government, or its citizens.” 

Directions include the following statement: “This is a voluntary program conducted in the interest of public enlightenment. The Fairfax County Police Department reserves the right to limit or exclude any person from participation in this program.”