Manassas Police cite rise in larceny, declines in DUIs and overdoses; department keeps CALEA accreditation

Chief Doug Keane and Captain Trey Lawler presented the Manassas Police Department's 2024 annual report, outlining crime trends, enforcement activity, staffing and community-engagement efforts.

The report said Part I offenses per 1,000 residents rose from 20 to 21, driven primarily by an increase in larceny (roughly 80% of crimes citywide are larcenies). The department reported an overall 6% decline in “incidents” and a marked drop in DUI arrests tied to saturated patrols. Overdose-related calls fell 19% from the prior year; the department highlighted community-resource and diversion programs as contributing factors.

Keane and Lawler also noted sustained community engagement: expansions in social-media safety messaging, school and business outreach, and awards for individual officers and teams. The department maintained its CALEA accreditation (its eighth award, Keane said) and emphasized continuing efforts to diversify hiring and to monitor use-of-force, traffic-enforcement, and crash hotspots — particularly the Liberia Avenue/Centerville Road corridor.

Council members asked about training and staffing; the chiefs said professional development, in-house training capacity and leadership development remain priorities, enabled by the new public-safety training facility. The presentation closed with an assurance that departmental strategic planning and accreditation would guide 2025 priorities including rewriting mission and leadership statements.

Council recognized officers honored by regional organizations and thanked staff for community work and daily public-safety duties.