Chase Bank is seeking Fairfax County’s permission to add a drive-through ATM to its Herndon location.
The company has submitted a special exception proposal requesting the ability to operate the ATM and a deposit box at Village Center Shopping Center (2401 Centreville Road).
The county’s land use database indicates that the application was submitted on March 14, but as of press time, staff were still awaiting the actual plans.
The location currently has two ATMs, and Chase Bank’s website indicates that it recently opened.
According to a Chase Bank spokesperson, the branch opened in October and was “built from the ground up.”
“All of our branches that have a drive-thru are locations where there is space and demand to give customers a variety of options for their deposit and withdrawal financing needs,” said Carolyn Evert, Chase Bank’s spokesperson for the D.C. region.
The shopping center, which is anchored by Giant, currently has three spaces available. The largest vacant space is a 44,460-square-foot location for a fitness tenant.
Image via Google Maps
The Fairfax County Police Department touted the county’s status as the safest jurisdiction of its size following the release of its year-end crime report.
The report — which is based on violent crime rates among participating agencies evaluated by the Major Cities Chief Association — shows that Fairfax County’s rate is the lowest among jurisdictions of comparable size. Homicide offenses, sex offenses, burglaries, and robberies all declined between 2022 and 2023, according to the report.
“The central message conveyed in this report is clear — Fairfax County stands as the safest large jurisdiction in America. Through data-informed enforcement strategies, FCPD played a pivotal role in reducing violent crime rates,” FCPD wrote in a press release.
At a safety and security committee meeting before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 12, Police Chief Kevin Davis said that all 17 murders last year were solved. Homicides were down 23% over the previous year.
FCPD also stepped up the number of traffic summonses, issuing nearly 40% more in 2023 than in 2022 for violations like speeding, reckless driving, and hands-free violations.
Theft of motor vehicle parts was a major focus this year. The number of thefts decreased from 1,516 in 2022 to 875 in 2023, a trend observed in the FCPD’s mid-year crime report.
But the decrease in the theft of motor vehicle parts was offset by an increase in shoplifting, which rose from 5,799 incidents in 2022 to 8,156 last year. Additionally, 126 more vehicles were stolen in 2023 than in 2022.
Most cars that were stolen were either Kias and Hyundais, particularly in the Mount Vernon District, according to FCPD. They were often later recovered in D.C. or Prince George’s County.
Officers increased their presence in malls during the winter holiday season. Springfield’s Christmas anti-theft team recovered more than $100,000 of stolen merchandise last year compared to $30,000 in 2022, according to the FCPD.
Davis noted that organized groups appear to be targeted high-end merchandise in large quantities, later reselling the items on Facebook Marketplace.
“Everyone is jumping up and down about what we need to do to prevent, mitigate, and hold these really organized groups better accountable,” Davis said, adding that the problem appears to be region-wide.
A one-day symposium is planned in April for regional authorities to explore “innovative” solutions, Davis said.
The department also reported 472 assaults against its officers this year — an increase from 378 in 2022. Davis said 5% of all assault crimes were against law enforcement officers.
“It has our attention and we’re taking steps to mitigate it,” Davis said.
Overall, there were 1,161 assaults between 2022 and 2023, according to the report, although most offenses were not aggravated. Most assaults are “domestic in nature or involve parties known to each other,” the police department says.
“FCPD worked hard to combat this issue by placing over 34,000 criminal charges on over 23,000 individuals responsible for crimes in Fairfax County last year,” the FCPD said in a news release.
While pedestrian fatalities decreased in 2023, which had nine deaths, FCPD has launched a collaborative effort with local transportation officials and other community partners to review pedestrian fatalities and significant injuries. Between 2019 and 2022, 77 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes.
Most incidents happened at night, Davis said.
A Great Falls man pleaded guilty on Friday (March 15) to failing to pay $1.8 million to the Internal Revenue Service.
Rick Tariq Rahim, 55, owned and operated several businesses, including laser tag facilities, and he worked as an Amazon reseller, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia.
“From 2015 to 2021, Rahim did not pay to the IRS the taxes withheld from his employees’ paychecks or file the required quarterly employment tax returns reporting those withholdings,” the office said in a press release.
Authorities say Rahim hasn’t filed a personal income tax return since 2012 despite earning more than $34 million in gross income.
In addition, Rahim filed two personal income tax returns where reported owing “substantial” taxes but did not pay them when they were due. When the IRS attempted to contact him, he submitted a false form that omitted assets he owned, including a helicopter, property in Great Falls and a Lamborghini, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
From the press release:
Approximately two weeks later, Rahim transferred ownership of that Great Falls property to his wife. He also paid personal expenses from his business bank accounts, including more than $889,000 toward his mortgages and more than $669,000 to purchase or lease cars, including three different Lamborghinis. In addition, Rahim withdrew more than $1.1 million in cash in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid triggering currency transaction reports from the bank.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 21.
Photo via Google Maps
Fairfax County residents don’t have to head to D.C. to experience the flair of cherry blossoms.
Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon will be the site of a spring celebration to celebrate the arrival of cherry blossoms on Saturday, April 6.
The event, “Into the Woods,” is a free, self-paced tour that will include interactive stations that include fairy-house building and other crafts.
“Discover the magic of Frying Pan Farm Park’s woods, where the combination of spring sunshine and rare soil creates a vibrant ecosystem,” the Fairfax County Park Authority said.
The event is free and open for all ages. Registration is open online to help the park authority manage park volume. Attendees can choose from different program start times at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and noon.
Frying Pan Farm Park is located 2709 West Ox Road in Herndon.
Kids’ parties in Reston are about to get more buoyant, as Bruno’s Bounce House expands its services to the community.
The Gainesville-based company, which sells party and event entertainment gear, announced yesterday (Thursday) that it will offer its inflatable rental services to Reston.
Options for rentals include bounce houses, dry and water slides, obstacle courses and interactive games.
“We are thrilled to bring our exceptional inflatable rental services to the Reston community,” Bruno’s Bounce House owner Gary Kwitkin said in a press release. “Our mission is to provide safe, entertaining, and memorable experiences for children and adults alike. We believe that our wide selection of inflatables will be a hit at any event, adding excitement and joy to every occasion.”
The family-owned business also offers tables, chairs, tents, and concession machines for rent. Delivery, set-up and take-down services are provided by the company.
The Reston-based German Armed Forces Command partnered with Food for Neighbors to help tackle food insecurity among teenagers on Saturday (March 9).
The office, which serves as the German military’s liaison to the U.S. and Canada on issues related to defense technology and weapons, helped sort nearly 3,400 pounds of donations at Herndon Middle School. It also presented a donation of more than $5,500 to Food for Neighbors.
A local nonprofit organization that provides food to middle and high school students, Food for Neighbors plans to use the funds to address teen food insecurity in partnering schools throughout Northern Virginia.
“I feel honored and privileged to present this donation as our contribution to your outstanding and very important cause,” Col. Joerg Dronia, commander of the German Armed Forces Command in the U.S. and Canada, said. “The funds were raised at the 2023 Christmas Market at our HQ here in Reston. The women and men serving there, nominated your charity organization as the prime recipient. I am more than pleased to follow their suggestion to support those in need.”
This is the second year that the German Armed Forces Command worked with Food for Neighbors after the organization participated in a similar sorting event in January 2023.
Dronia said the organization sees itself as an integral part of the local community.
“I have to repeat what I said already last year: Although, we are far away from home, you all make us feel at home here in Reston,” he said at the collection and sorting event.
Food for Neighbors founder and executive director Karen Joseph said the organization currently helps 7,500 students in 47 schools.
“In addition to representing one of our greatest NATO allies, the German Armed Forces Command is an excellent example of what it means to be a good neighbor,” Joseph said. “We are one of many organizations that have benefited from their giving spirit, and we thank them for all that they do to help our most vulnerable community members.”
Nearly 65% of Herndon Middle School’s students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
“Our students don’t need fancy shoes. They need food and love. By coming together over food, we create a community,” Herndon Middle School Family Liaison Salazar Laske said.
Overall, the effort sorted and collected more than 26,500 pounds of food and toiletries.
The air-conditioning system that has long served many homes in Reston’s Lake Anne area will still be required for 343 homes after a referendum failed to pass.
Only 165 of the 343 residents who received a ballot from Reston Association voted to revoke a provision of RA’s covenants that required those living within specific residential clusters to use the Reston Lake Anne Air-Conditioning Corporation’s (RELAC) cooling services.
The referendum needed 229 votes — a two-thirds majority — to succeed, RA board president John Farrell said when announcing the results at a special meeting last night (Wednesday).
RELAC announced in December that it will cease providing services after 2023. The State Corporation Commission-governed utility served 625 residential and commercial properties, though condominiums weren’t included in the referendum since they’re outside the lot line.
In response to RELAC’s suspension of service, Reston Association launched the referendum vote to repeal a portion of Reston’s deed that currently prohibits individual AC units in residential clusters where central air-conditioning service is available to the lot line.
At last night’s special board of directors meeting, Farrell noted that a “substantial number of people” did not take part in the referendum. Only 89 members voted against repealing or revoking the provision in question.
At the special meeting, some members said they’ve been left with no other viable options as temperatures begin to warm up.
A community-driven effort to re-establish RELAC under a co-op structure is currently underway. But some members said the future viability of that option is unclear.
“RELAC as it stands right now is in very poor shape,” said local resident Max Goodman, noting that a lack of funds continue to be a problem for the new co-op structure.
Farrell emphasized that RA has no direct involvement in RELAC, either in its original form or the new co-op. He directed Goodman and others to take their questions to RELAC, adding that the co-op told RA that it plans to begin operating this spring.
Similar referendums to revoke the RELAC requirement failed to pass in 2015 and 2008.
Residents of the clusters required to use RELAC can obtain a medical exemption from RA’s covenants committee if they have a medical need. They must apply for the exemption before submitting any application for an HVAC system to the Design Review Board, RA says.
“Properties without an approved medical exemption will not be permitted to install exterior HVAC systems,” RA said.
The Fairfax County Police Department will utilize automated technology to analyze body-worn camera footage in real time.
Seeking to improve its training and interactions with the public, the FCPD is the first jurisdiction in Virginia to sign on with Truleo, the Chicago-based technology company announced yesterday (Tuesday).
According to a press release, the technology uses artificial intelligence to process body camera footage, automatically detecting events like use of force, pursuits and frisks. The technology also screens for “professional and unprofessional” language by officers “so supervisors can then praise or review officers’ conduct.”
“We are proud to begin our work with the Fairfax County Police Department and Chief Kevin Davis,” Truleo co-founder and CEO Anthony Tassone said. “Through our work with various law enforcement agencies across the country, we’ve seen how implementing body-worn analytics helps to increase public trust and ensures that police officers meet not just law enforcement standards but also the expectations of the communities they serve.”
Launched in 2021, Truleo uses technology that Tassone and co-founder Tejas Shastry originally developed on Wall Street in 2013 “to analyze employee phone calls and text conversations,” according to the company’s website.
Since launching, the company has partnered with the FBI’s National Academy Associates program and numerous local police agencies, starting with the Alameda police in California in 2022. Other partners include the New York City Police Department and the Paterson Police Department in New Jersey, but police in Seattle discontinued their program in February 2023 after a police union leader was recorded laughing about the victim of a fatal police shooting.
Truleo’s platform generates transcripts of audio recordings captured by body cameras, using natural language processing to detect words or phrases that may signal a notable interaction. A searchable report is then sent to the officer’s supervisor.
Truleo asserts that its technology can reduce workloads for law enforcement agencies, which otherwise analyze less than 1% of body camera footage due to limited resources. However, some civil rights advocates and researchers have raised concerns about privacy and the potential for the technology to be misused.
Studies have found that AI-powered speech recognition tools are less accurate at interpreting Black voices and people speaking a language other than English, since they’re often trained on biased data.
In Fairfax County, police supervisors can’t actively review footage from body-worn cameras due to the department’s auditing process.
At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors safety and security committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday), Police Chief Kevin Davis said the combined power of the FCPD’s technological commitments will provide greater transparency on community sentiment and officer performance.
In response to Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik’s concerns about privacy, Davis emphasized that Truleo won’t activate unless the body-worn cameras are turned on.
“The Truleo is only on when the body worn camera is activated,” Davis said. “When the body camera is not on, Truleo will not be on.”
The FCPD already uses My90, a community engagement tool that uses a post-incident survey to complainants requesting police help. It also has an automated speed enforcement helicopter and drones, per Davis’s presentation.
The department is also expanding its use of automatic license plate readers, which were first tested in November 2022. Davis said the program has quickly become a model for the region, allowing the FCPD to promote regional collaboration and provide officers with more information.
In 2023, the department recovered 134 vehicles and arrested 222 individuals with the help of license plate reader alerts. The arrests have led to 480 felony charges and 244 charges classified as misdemeanors. The FCPD was also able to find 19 missing persons.
A plan to renovate Reston’s Armstrong Elementary School is coming to fruition.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission is set to consider a proposal tonight (Wednesday) to expand the school at 11900 Lake Newport Road with several additions and amenities.
Built in 1985, the school’s current enrollment is 360 students — far below its design capacity of 786 students — but the building is in need of “significant” improvements, according to the application.
The plans call for a 27,250-square-foot expansion of the school building, including a one-story, 7,250-square-foot administrative suite, a two-story, roughly 11,500-square-foot classroom addition, and a one-story, 8,500-square-foot addition for a library on the west side of the building.
Three new playgrounds are planned on the southern end of the property, along with a 6-foot-wide asphalt trail on the east side of the softball field and soccer field. An additional 36 parking spaces will also be provided, giving the site a total of 146 spots.
Scheduled to wrap up in the summer of 2026, the renovation is not expected to impact outdoor activities. A staging area for construction is proposed at the existing sports field, and four temporary classrooms, including a trailer with a bathroom, and a temporary playground will be provided during the renovation.
“School outdoor activities will be maintained during the renovation and coordinated by the School,” the application said. “Modular classrooms may be necessary during the renovation but will be removed upon completion of the construction.”
A bus parking area with five spaces will be added in front of the school’s main entrance. Fairfax County Public Schools reduced the maximum number of buses that can fit in a queue from 14 to 13 after the Virginia Department of Transportation raised concerns about overflow onto Lake Newport Road, according to a county staff report.
“While this is an improvement, applicant should continue to demonstrate at the time of site plan that sufficient queuing exists on-site for all 13 buses without conflicting with pedestrian and vehicular circulation,” the report said. “A development condition has been proposed to address this issue.”
County staff have also suggested that a stop bar and buffer strip be added in the bus area to better separate it from pedestrians.
Other recommendations in the staff report include the provision of a noise study at the project’s site plan phase “to ensure that students are not exposed to harmful levels of noise given that new fields and playground areas are proposed.”
Rendering via FCPS
An event featuring the stories of women returns to Fairfax City for its fifth year this week.
Organized by nonprofit Better Said Than Done, the Women’s Storytelling Festival will take place this Thursday through Sunday (March 14 through 17) in Fairfax. The event features 21 storytellers who will deliver spoken word pieces intended for mature audiences.
A virtual-only showcase kicks off the event on Thursday, while in-person performances begin at Old Town Hall (3999 University Drive) from Friday through Sunday. Tickets are available online.
The festival launched in March 2020, days before a statewide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event switched to a virtual-only option in 2021 and kept the event hybrid in 2022.
Last year, the festival returned to in-person performances in Fairfax City. Recordings of the performances were released one month after the event.
Jessica Robinson, the event’s producer, says the event holds special meaning for her as a storyteller for 17 years and a storytelling show producer for 12.
“I can honestly say, the Women’s Storytelling Festival is what I am most proud of creating and, as a fan of storytelling, some of the best damn storytelling I have ever seen. 2024 is going to be another amazing weekend of stories, and I cannot wait to watch and enjoy,” she said.
She launched Better Said than Done in May 2011 to bring the art of storytelling to Virginia. The organization was granted nonprofit status last year.
Coinciding with Women’s History Month, the Fairfax festival will feature novice and expert storytelling from across the country.
“I’ve always been amazed at the sheer amount of talent the WSF brings together in one room,” Fairfax City Cultural Arts Manager Megan DuBois said. “From nationally known legends of storytelling to emerging artists, the tellers are all performing at the top of their game. The WSF curates an incredible cast.”