Police chief praises local employees, reports body-camera platform issue and urges residents to secure vehicles

Police Chief Drew delivered the department report, including community outreach, staffing changes and equipment issues. He told council he had spoken to the Kiwanis Club earlier in the day and that the village has a new prosecutor for mayor's court. On equipment, he said the body-camera platform the department purchased is not designed for the department's use; the department is working with WatchGuard and IT (Mike Manford) to resolve the issue at no cost to the village. Chief Drew said vehicles cannot be used once retrofitted until body cameras and platform compatibility are resolved, stalling that rollout.

During communications, Patrolman Nathan Staggs submitted an internal correspondence describing an incident on Jan. 5, 2021 at about 8:15 a.m., when he found a disabled Mazda on Columbia Parkway and observed Village of Fairfax maintenance employees Mike Hall and Timothy Bronson assisting the motorist (identified as Edwin Marinko) by changing a tire. Staggs commended Hall and Bronson for remaining on scene until the motorist became mobile again, writing that their prompt action prevented prolonged exposure to traffic danger.

Chief Drew also addressed an uptick in vehicle thefts in neighboring areas and urged residents to lock cars and avoid leaving visible valuables. When asked about heavy police presence the previous day, the chief said there had been a reported kidnapping/home-invasion that appears to have been false, with participants changing their accounts across jurisdictions; he said "as far as we're concerned, nothing actually happened here in Fairfax" and the department is continuing to handle the situation.

Councilmembers thanked staff for the maintenance and police work; no formal council action was taken on the police items during the meeting.