Fairfax County Sheriff's Office

Fairfax County Office of the Sheriff
Fairfax County Office of the Sheriff
	Patch of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office
	Seal of Fairfax County
	Flag of Fairfax County
Common name	Fairfax County Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation	FCSO
Agency overview
Formed	1742
Employees	608
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Size	407 square miles (1,050 km2)
Population	1,116,897
General nature	Local civilian police;
Operational structure
Headquarters	Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Deputy Sheriffs	518
Civilians	90
Agency executive	Stacey Kincaid (D), Sheriff;
Facilities
Jails	1
Website
	Official Website

The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, officially the Fairfax County Office of the Sheriff, serves a population of 1,116,897 residents in Fairfax County, Virginia, a Northern Virginian suburb of Washington, D.C. It is one of the largest Sheriff's Office in Virginia with nearly 600 sworn deputies. The Sheriff and her deputies are fully sworn law enforcement officers with full arrest powers within Fairfax County, City of Fairfax and the Towns of Herndon and Vienna. The Sheriff's Office assists the Fairfax County Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to maintain peace and order in Fairfax County.

History[]

A Fairfax County Sheriff's Office cruiser in 2009

The Sheriff's Office was formed in 1742 when Fairfax County was created from Prince William County, Virginia. The sheriff is a position established under the Virginia Constitution.^[1] The sheriff is elected every four years. There have been 70 elected sheriffs in Fairfax County. The current Sheriff is Stacey Kincaid, who was first elected in 2013.^[2]

The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office responsibilities have changed since its inception. It was the primary law enforcement agency in the County until 1940. That year Sheriff Eppa P. Kirby persuaded the Virginia General Assembly to separate the law enforcement role of the county police from the Sheriff's Office. On July 1, 1940, the Fairfax County Police Department became a separate agency under the control of Board of Supervisors.^[3]

Overview[]

The FCSO is headed by Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid. Sheriff Kincaid is the first woman to be elected to the position of Sheriff in the county.^[4]

The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office is a paramilitary organization with a rank structure.^[5]


Insignia	Title	Information
	Sheriff	FCSO commander, elected every four years.
	Lt. Colonel	The two Lt Colonels serve as the Sheriff's Chief Deputies.
	Major	Division commander.
	Captain	Branch commander.
	1st Lieutenant	Section/shift commander.
	2nd Lieutenant	Section/shift supervisor.
	Sergeant	Section/shift assistant supervisor, team/unit commander.
	Master Deputy Sheriff	Competitive rank requiring at least five years of service.
	Private First Class	Automatic promotion after two years of service.
	Private	Base rank.

Deputy sheriffs begin their training at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy in Chantilly, Virginia. The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office attends the police academy with the Fairfax County, Herndon and Vienna Police Departments.

Divisions[]

Sheriff Stacey Kincaid appearing in a parade in July 2016

Adult Detention Facility

The Adult Detention Center serves as the County jail in Fairfax. It is unique in the nation because it provides all three forms of jail housing—linear, podular remote, and direct supervision. The average daily population is about 1200 inmates.

Inmates await trial and sentencing, or release after completing their sentence. The jail holds criminals with all types of offenses from, murder to drunk in public.

Civil Enforcement

The Sheriff's Office provides the service of civil documents including court capias and court orders of the Virginia Court System. The Sheriff's Office also is responsible for executing eviction orders and levies.

Court Security

The Sheriff's Office provides security for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and the Fairfax County Judicial Center (Jennings Building), both located in Fairfax County's Public Safety Complex. The Judicial Center is one of the busiest courthouses in Virginia with an average of 3,500 persons entering the center daily.

Additionally the Sheriff's Office provides security for the courts in the towns of Vienna and Herndon, and the City of Fairfax. Security is provided for the judges, staff, and visitors.

The Sheriff's Office also is responsible for escorting in excess of 17,000 prisoners to and from these courts each year.

Community Relations

Honor Guard

The Honor Guard represents the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office at numerous events both locally and nationally.

Project Lifesaver

The Sheriff's office assists families and caregivers of individuals with Autism spectrum, Down syndrome, Alzheimer's and related diseases and disabilities. Clients wear a wrist/ankle band that emits a silent tracking signal. Deputies that respond to a family member that is lost can locate these individuals.

Community Labor Force

This section provides a substantial savings to the tax payers of Fairfax County by maintaining the grounds at numerous County facilities. The labor force removes graffiti and cleans county right of ways of trash. Labor crews consist of well screened non-violent offenders.

Sheriff's Emergency Response Team

This tactical arm of the Sheriff's Office is trained to handle high risk cell extractions in the Adult Detention Center, hostage, riot and barricade situations in facilities maintained by the Sheriff's Office. High risk transports, judiciary and executive protection, and high risk court trials. This unit is also trained in civil disturbance management and provides mutual aid to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Crisis Negotiation Team

The Sheriff's Office Crisis Negotiation Team responds to the scene of all hostage or barricade situations in facilities maintained by the Sheriff's Office. Through verbal communications, its members protect the lives of all hostages, bystanders, deputy sheriffs, and suspects. Their primary objective is to secure the release of all hostages and facilitate the apprehension of all suspects.

Fallen officers[]

Since the establishment of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office in 1742, two officers have died in the line of duty: Deputy George A. Malcolm, April 7, 1905; gunfire. Sergeant Frederick H. "Butch" Cameron, January 12, 2021; SARS-COV-2 (Covid-19). ^[6]

References[]

^ "Constitution of Virginia - Article VII. Local Government". Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
^ Chandler, Michael Alison; Binkovitz, Leah (2013-11-05). "Stacey Kincaid is elected Fairfax County's first female sheriff". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
^ "Fairfax County Police Headed By McIntosh: New Setup Created By Assembly; Sheriff Still Jail Head". The Washington Post. 30 June 1940. ProQuest 151320923.
^ Binkovitz, Michael Alison Chandler and Leah (2013-11-05). "Stacey Kincaid is elected Fairfax County's first female sheriff". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
^ "PowerDMS". public.powerdms.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
^ "Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, VA". Retrieved 23 July 2016.

External links[]

Official website

[1] "Constitution of Virginia - Article VII. Local Government". Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 13 October 2018.

[2] Chandler, Michael Alison; Binkovitz, Leah (2013-11-05). "Stacey Kincaid is elected Fairfax County's first female sheriff". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-10-04.

[3] "Fairfax County Police Headed By McIntosh: New Setup Created By Assembly; Sheriff Still Jail Head". The Washington Post. 30 June 1940. ProQuest 151320923.

[4] Binkovitz, Michael Alison Chandler and Leah (2013-11-05). "Stacey Kincaid is elected Fairfax County's first female sheriff". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-12-06.

[5] "PowerDMS". public.powerdms.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.

[6] "Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, VA". Retrieved 23 July 2016.

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