| Fairfax County Sheriff's Office | |
| Abbreviation | FCSO |
| Patch of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1742 |
| Employees | 608 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | County (US) of Fairfax in the state of Virginia, USA |
| Size | 407 square miles (1,050 km2) |
| Population | 1,081,726 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Fairfax, Virginia |
| Deputy Sheriffs | 518 |
| Civilians | 90 |
| Agency executive | Stan Barry, Sheriff |
| Facilities | |
| Jails | 1 |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) serves a population of 1,081,726 residents in Northern Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. It is the largest Sheriff's Office in Virginia with nearly 600 sworn deputies. The Sheriff and his 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.
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The Sheriff's Office was formed in 1742 when Fairfax County was created from Prince William County, Virginia. There have been 70 elected Sheriffs in Fairfax County, the current Sheriff is Stan Barry. Sheriff Barry was first elected in 1999. The Sheriff is a position that was established under the Virginia Constitution, the citizens elect the Sheriff every four years.
The FCSO responsibilities have changed immensely since its inception. The FCSO was the primary law enforcement agency in the County until 1940. This is the year Sheriff Kirby persuaded the Board of Supervisors to implement a County Police Department. Fairfax County was rapidly changing from a rural area to a sprawling suburb of Washington D.C. Sheriff Kirby was overwhelmed with running the county jail, providing court security, serving civil process and patrol. In 1940 the County Police were tasked with daily criminal police duties.
The FCSO is a paramilitary organization with a rank structure.
Training begins at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy in Chantilly, Virginia. The FCSO attends the police academy with the Fairfax County, Herndon and Vienna Police Departments.
Adult Detention Facility
The Adult Detention Center (ADC) 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 1400 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 Service
The Sheriff's Office provides the service of civil documents including court capias and court orders. 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, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s and related diseases and disabilities. Clients wear a wristband 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 maintaing the grounds at numerous County facilities. The labor force removes grafftti and cleans County right of ways of trash. Labor crews consist of well screened non-violent offenders.
Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT)
The tactical arm of the Sheriff's Office. SERT is trained to handle high risk cell extractions in the ADC, hostage, riot and barricade situations in facilities maintained by the Sheriff's Office. High risk transports, Judiciary and executive protection, and high risk trials are conducted by SERT members. SERT is trained in civil disturbance management and provides assistance to the Fairfax County Police Department. SERT serves high risk and fugitive warrants.
Since the establishment of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, one officer has died in the line of duty.[1]
| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Sheriff George A. Malcolm |
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