A plan to consolidate the duties of Fairfax County’s Department of Animal Sheltering (DAS) and Animal Protection Police (APP) is drawing some pushback from the local police union.
Last month, county staff proposed to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors that DAS take charge of both animal care services and enforcement of animal protection laws, which would be carried out by animal control officers (ACOs). The recommendation came from both DAS and Fairfax County Police Department leaders.
However, the county’s chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association (SSPBA), the elected union for the FCPD, argues the planned consolidation would have substantial negative impacts on the department’s existing animal protection police officers (APPOs), the community, pets, and wildlife.
“ACOs have different authorities and are not considered law enforcement officers under Virginia code, which would be a fundamental change to the position as it has been historically implemented in Fairfax County,” SSPBA Fairfax County President Steve Monahan told FFXnow.
Under the proposal, animal control officers would have a similar scope of authority as APPOs and handle all calls for service, including investigations of animal cruelty, search warrants, and rabies vaccinations. Currently, the FCPD’s Animal Protection Police unit handles encounters between humans and animals, including potential criminal situations.
ACOs would still get required training through the Commonwealth of Virginia, but they wouldn’t go through the police academy as APPOs do. The FCPD would continue to assist with criminal investigations.
“The proposed reduction of legal authority of ACOs within DAS’s model would inevitably result in FCPD patrol officers being tasked with additional animal-related responsibilities despite not having the same level of animal-related training as our current, fully sworn APPOs,” Monahan said.
The SSPBA says ACOs elsewhere in the state regularly fight for better pay, benefits, and training. The union believes Fairfax County’s proposal would exploit officers by requiring the same work with less pay.
“The county is proposing to replace the current structure with one that includes positions with less enforcement authority, less training, and fewer employee benefits and protections than their predecessors,” Monahan said. “Typically, whenever employees are asked to do the same work with less protections and benefits, this results in a high turnover rate and significant difficulty in filling vacancies.”
According to the staff presentation on Jan. 30, the county’s decision to split animal care and control functions between the DAS and the police department in 2016 didn’t “result in a successful integration of two separate departments working together to provide animal services.”
DAS currently manages two public animal shelters, one on West Ox Road in the Fairfax area and a second campus that opened in Lorton last October.
DAS Director Reasa Currier told FFXnow that having animal care and control services run by two departments with different missions is expensive and ineffective.
“Uniting animal care and control services under one department and utilizing Animal Control Officers will bring our county in alignment with surrounding jurisdictions and industry best practices, allow us to expand service delivery to our community, and reduce costs,” Currier said.
Additionally, she expressed confidence that ACOs can fully enforce animal protection laws, investigate cruelty and neglect, and rescue and transport wildlife.
DAS is also working closely with the SSPBA to ensure that APPOs aren’t negatively affected by the change and that their pay and retirement stay the same, according to Currier.
“This proposed model positions the county to meet the diverse needs of our residents and has worked successfully for decades in Alexandria, Arlington County, Prince William County, Loudoun County, the District of Columbia, Montgomery County and in jurisdictions nationwide,” Currier said.
If the proposal is included in the county executive’s advertised budget for fiscal year 2025, which will be presented on Feb. 20, the Board of Supervisors can then decide whether to adopt it.
Photo via FCPD
(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) A local bald eagle stretched its wings for the first time in over a month when it got released at Burke Lake Park this past weekend.
The adult, male bird was found in Fairfax Station on Dec. 23 by Fairfax County Animal Protection Police officers, who were responding to a call for service. In addition to being “underweight,” the eagle had head injuries and “a deep laceration on a leg,” according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The exact cause of the eagle’s injury remains unknown, but it is common for wildlife in urban areas to sustain injuries from various factors,” an FCPD spokesperson told FFXnow.
After managing to capture the eagle, the responding officers enlisted the assistance of Wildlife Rescue League volunteers, who transported it to Wildlife Veterinary Care in Boyce, Virginia. Led by veterinarian Dr. Belinda Burwell, the clinic provides free veterinary and rehabilitation services for sick and injured native wildlife.
According to the FCPD, Burwell specializes in treating raptors, but Wildlife Veterinary Care can take care of more than 200 different species of animals, per its website.
Burwell released the bald eagle at Burke Lake Park (7315 Ox Road) on Sunday, Feb. 4 after it spent six weeks in treatment and recovery, the FCPD said. Animal Protection Police officers, Wildlife Rescue League volunteers and park staff all attended the release.
Encompassing 888 acres of water and woodland, Burke Lake Park is an “ideal habitat” for eagles and other large birds, according to the police department’s media team.
“The park offers a suitable environment with abundant food sources and minimal human interference, providing the eagle with the best chance of thriving after its rehabilitation,” the FCPD said.
This isn’t the first time local police have worked with Burwell to rehabilitate a bald eagle.
She previously helped care for a bird suffering from an injured shoulder and lead poisoning that a community member had encountered on a trail near Burke Lake in December 2019. That eagle was also released at Burke Lake Park on Jan. 12, 2020, an occasion that drew over 500 onlookers, the Fairfax County Park Authority said at the time.
Burwell told the Washington Post that lead poisoning is a common issue in the five to 10 eagles that Wildlife Veterinary Care typically sees each year. Raptors are often exposed to lead when they eat the remains of animals shot by hunters, according to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, which admitted over 60 bald eagles last year — the most in one year since its founding in 1982.
The Wildlife Rescue League’s helpline, which is entirely supported by volunteers and donations, received 6,500 calls for assistance last year, including 2,896 calls for sick, injured or orphaned birds, according to WRL President Beth Axelrod.
“Ten of those calls were about eagles, and four eagles were transported by WRL volunteer transporters,” Axelrod told FFXnow. “I believe three of them were Fairfax County, one was from Loudoun.”
Virginia once had just 30 breeding pairs of bald eagles, but the species has recovered nationally in recent decades, to the point where it was taken off the federal list of endangered species in 2013.
According to data gathered by the Center for Conservation Biology, most of Fairfax County’s recorded nests can be found in the southeast, particularly around Mason Neck, but there was one nest in Burke Lake Park counted in 2015. The county is also home to hawks and at least one family of falcons that regularly nests at Reston Town Center.
Fairfax County wants to consolidate the duties of its Department of Animal Sheltering (DAS) and Animal Protection Police (APP).
Under the new arrangement, DAS would oversee both animal care services and enforcement of animal protection laws, which would be carried out by animal control officers (ACO), according to the recommendation from DAS and the Fairfax County Police Department.
Staff presented the proposed changes to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a safety and security committee meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 30).
In 2016, the county chose to split animal care and control functions between the DAS and the police department, a decision that did not “result in a successful integration of two separate departments working together to provide animal services,” the proposal says.
DAS currently manages two public animal shelters, one on West Ox Road in the Fairfax area and a second campus that opened in Lorton last October. The FCPD’s Animal Protection Police unit deals with encounters between humans and animals, including wildlife and potential criminal situations involving pets.
Under the proposed changes, ACOs would have “nearly the same” scope of authority as Animal Protection Police Officers (APPO) and would handle all calls for service, including for:
- Issuing a summons, obtaining search and arrest warrants
- Investigation of animal cruelty and neglect
- Investigation of animal fighting
- Investigation of animal bites
- Response to sick, injured, or stray companion animals
- Rabies vaccination and dog license enforcement
FCPD would continue to assist with criminal investigations, and ACOs would still get required training through the Commonwealth of Virginia, but they wouldn’t go through the police academy as APPOs do.
DAS Director Reasa Currier said having the two separate services has presented challenges for decades, and other jurisdictions that have consolidated their departments are seeing success.
“Jurisdictions that have recently moved to a consolidated model report significant benefits, including increased compliance rates, decreased shelter intake and a trusting community,” she said.
Describing animal services as a “highly specialized and technical field,” Currier said providing those services through one department “ensures we’re embracing industry best practices.”
She said the proposal would also enhance the health and safety of the community, and it’s in direct alignment with the county’s One Fairfax policy and equity goals.
In addition to their law enforcement duties, ACOs would connect pet owners with several services, such as free pet food and supplies as well as free and low-cost veterinary care.
“It is important to note that this proposed model does not replace enforcement for animal cruelty and neglect,” Currier added.
Deputy Chief of Police Lt. Robert Blakely said the changes would allow police officers to focus more on enforcing the law and would have very little impact on animals and people in the community.
“An animal control officer can enforce all of Virginia’s animal control laws as it pertains to domesticated animals running at-large and rabies vaccinations and county ordinances,” Blakely said.
Police Chief Kevin Davis said the people calling for service would see a similar process. For example, residents would still call the Department of Public Safety Communications through 911 or the non-emergency number, and the department would still dispatch animal control officers to respond to the scene.
“In the very few cases that police were needed to assist, police would then be added to that call, just as we are today,” Davis said.
The proposal could be included in the county executive’s advertised budget for fiscal year 2025, which will be presented on Feb. 20. The Board of Supervisors will then decide whether to adopt the reorganization.
(Updated at 8:30 p.m.) Several people have reported the sighting of a bear near Home Depot in Reston.
In a tweet, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn warned residents of a bear sighting near the hardware store at 1651 Reston Parkway. A representative for Alcorn’s office said the Reston Police District received several reports.
Sgt. Earit Powell with Animal Protextion Police said it is likely the same bear that was seen in McLean over the last week and a half is in the Reston area.
The bear has not showed any threatening behavior but has been getting into trash and bird feeders, Powell said.
“We are also directing people to contact the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline at 855-571-9003 to report sightings and any conflicts with bears. This helpline is operated by the DWR and USDA Wildlife Services,” he added.
Another individual told FFXnow they saw a bear on Temporary Road.
Cameron Perez told FFXnow that she called 911 when she spotted the bear earlier this morning.
“I was coming back from work around 9:20am in the crossing light of Temporary Road and North Shore is the new traffic light that was installed recently,” Carmen said. “It was a black juvenile bear.”
Resident Matt Sweeney says he saw the bear in the Browns Chapel Park area this morning, posting videos on NextDoor that showed the animal crossing a road and lumbering through woods.
“It happened at around 8:05am at Browns Chapel,” he told FFXnow. “I first saw it on the paved trail running parallel to Baron Cameron [Road].”
There have been a number of reported bear sightings in Northern Virginia this month, including in McLean and Arlington. It’s unclear whether these have been the same animal or different ones.
My office has heard that a bear 🐻 has been seen in Reston near Home Depot. The bear hasn't shown behaviors that indicate a public safety threat. Call Virginia Wildlife Helpline 855-571-9003 to report sightings. https://t.co/XZwpKwLcis#Reston #HunterMill
— Supervisor Walter Alcorn (@WalterAlcornFFX) June 28, 2023
A dog was chained up and shot this morning in the residential neighborhood behind the Woodlawn Shopping Center in Mount Vernon, police say.
Officers responded to the area of Bedford Terrace and Beekman Place at 3:35 a.m. after getting a call that there was a dog chained to a fence, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Upon arriving, they discovered the animal had a gunshot wound.
“The chain was immediately removed, and the dog was taken to a nearby veterinarian’s office. The dog remains with the veterinarian receiving further care,” the FCPD said in a news release published this afternoon.
Police later determined that a community member had called earlier in the evening “after hearing a dog barking and a single gunshot,” the department said, adding that officers had searched the area but “did not find anything suspicious.”
The FCPD is now on the lookout for the owner of the dog, which is believed to be an adult, male Staffordshire terrier.
Police are asking residents in the neighborhood to review any surveillance footage they might have from last night. The department’s Animal Protection Police can be contacted at fcpdanimalprotection@fairfaxcounty.gov.
The FCPD also accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.
A stray llama who was caught running on Fairfax County Parkway in the Fairfax Station area over the weekend has been reunited with her owner, the county’s animal shelter says.
Kolby, a 20-year-old female llama, was caught by Fairfax County Animal Protection Police near Popes Head Road Sunday evening (Dec. 18) after escaping her enclosure.
A combination of overhead and body camera footage shared by the Fairfax County Police Department shows officers chasing the animal in a wooded area before managing to corral her.
“A passerby saw a llama out for a jog on the Fairfax County Pkwy near Popes Head Road,” the department said. “After eluding our officers, the llama was found in a backyard and safely taken secured by APP.”
Llama Drama! Watch the full video here https://t.co/jacKulzGXU #FCPD
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 20, 2022
Police transported the animal to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter (4500 West Ox Road), where she got a temporary home in the facility’s barn.
“The llama was assessed by shelter staff and the shelter veterinarian and found to be in stable condition,” shelter director Reasa Currier told FFXnow. “The shelter staff provided her bedding, food, and water. Shelter staff immediately began searching for her family.”
To help locate a potential owner, the shelter turned to social media. Posts on Twitter and Facebook asking if anyone is “missing a llama” quickly gained traction.
“We have a stray llama” is the quote of 2022, and maybe a great way to summarize the overall year. https://t.co/QmTH7BRJa9
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) December 20, 2022
It’s been a year for random animals roaming around the area – zebras in Prince George’s County, a black bear in Tysons Corner and now…?! https://t.co/8R77sBEddj
— Nicole Hawkins (@NicoleHawk) December 20, 2022
Namaste, llama stray 🦙 https://t.co/lYWj1hks24
— Council of DC (@councilofdc) December 20, 2022
In a welcome change of pace from previous unusual animal escapes in the D.C. region, Kolby’s adventure appears to have a happy ending: the shelter’s staff located her owner yesterday (Tuesday).
“He was eager to be reunited with his llama,” Currier said. “…Kolby received a lot of attention from the shelter staff and seemed to enjoy all of it.”
While not as common as horses or sheep, llamas are permitted as livestock in Fairfax County. The zoning ordinance allows up to five llamas per acre of land, provided the property is at least two acres in size — a rule that also applies to their cousins, alpacas.
Should any other llamas pop up and make a scene, Currier advises community members to contact Animal Protection Police, which can be reached at 703-691-2131 or FCPDAnimalProtection@FairfaxCounty.gov.
Pickles, a rescue cat, was trapped in a stormwater drain at Lake Anne in Reston for almost a week.
Her owners unsuccessfully tried to get him out after he became stuck on Dec. 4, his mews audible through a manhole.
After Fairfax County’s animal control staff said they couldn’t humanely trap the cat and the Fire and Rescue Department’s non-emergency line also said they could not do much, the owners turned to the county’s stormwater maintenance team for help.
After working from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 9), the team was able to get Pickles out, according to Brittany Catton Kirk, the owner.
“After a laborious first attempt/ he escaped and ran down a second drain. I seriously was going to give up at that point but your team did not. They moved the truck and started again. And this time got him!” Kirk said.
She told FFXnow that the cat was rescued on a freeway in Maryland a year ago.
Kirk said they promise to keep the feral rescue cat indoors from now on and lauded the team for their effort.
“It would have been an entirely different Christmas and trauma to know our cat was dying in a closed dark space, and now he is safe at home,” Kirk wrote.
The black bear spotted wandering past the Adaire Apartments in Tysons on Sunday (Oct. 30) is the same one seen in Vienna, Reston and other parts of Fairfax County earlier this fall, police say.
The animal has been active in the county for about two months now, traveling in the Vienna, Oakton, McLean, Reston and Fairfax areas, according to Katherine Edwards, the Fairfax County Police Department’s wildlife management specialist.
“While searching for food, this young bear has traveled into residential areas around homes, including yards, porches, and decks,” Edwards told FFXnow. “Most of the reports indicate that the bear is taking advantage of human-sourced food items, primarily bird feeders, unsecured trash, and beehives.”
The FCPD estimates that three to four bears have been active in the county since this spring, though no formal count has been conducted. Edwards says that number is in line with what’s reported to her and the county’s Animal Protection Police each year.
While sightings “are infrequent” in the more urbanized parts of Tysons, it’s “not uncommon” for one-year-old bears known as yearlings to move through the Potomac River corridor when setting out on their own for the first time, Edwards said.
Bears who find refuge in the parks and green spaces around nearby McLean and Vienna might drift into Tysons as they search for food.
This particular bear was filmed walking on the Boyd Pointe Way Sunday night in a video shared by FOX5 reporter Angie Goff. A Facebook commenter on FFXnow’s story about the sighting said a couple of his neighbors have caught the animal on camera following the Vesper Trail from Tysons Forest.
In September, the bear was seen rummaging through a trash can near McLean Hamlet Park, walking on Park Street in Vienna, and crossing Soapstone Drive toward Frederick Crabtree Park in Reston, as previously reported.
Soapstone Drive resident Sarah Boczar told FFXnow that her mom saw the bear in their neighborhood “a couple of weeks ago” while walking the family dog. Photos of the animal have been circulating in the community.
Edwards says bears will typically travel quickly through an area without any conflicts if they don’t find food, but this bear has lingered due to the availability of easily accessible food sources.
“We encourage neighbors to take preventative actions to remove food attractants and reduce the chance of conflict with a bear in their community,” she said. “We are asking neighbors to temporarily remove any outdoor food sources to help keep this young bear wild and encourage it to safely move on.”
Police advise residents to take the following steps to avoid attracting bears:
- Secure Garbage: Keep in a locked shed or inside until the morning of collection or use a bear resistant container.
- Take down birdfeeders.
- Feed pets indoors or only what they will eat in a single feeding if you must feed them outside. Remove all uneaten food and pet bowls. Do not leave food out overnight. Store pet food where bears can’t see or smell it.
- Clean up porches, patios, and decks. Remove any potential food sources and remember a screened in porch is not a “secure” storage area from a bear’s point of view.
- Clean grills after each use. Do not dump drippings in your yard. Run the grill an extra 5 minutes to burn off grease, fat, and food particles.
- Never leave food, trash, or pet/livestock feed inside your vehicle.
- Never purposely leave out food or try to feed a bear.
(Updated at 6 p.m.) Tysons got an unexpected visitor this weekend in the form of an apparently solo black bear.
The animal was spotted ambling along the Boyd Pointe Way sidewalk outside the Adaire Apartments in a video shared on Twitter last night by FOX5 reporter Angie Goff. She said it was seen on Sunday (Oct. 30) at 1521 Boyd Pointe Way.
BEAR IN TYSONS: 👀 spottef in Vienna Virginia.. 1521 Boyd Point Way yesterday! @fox5dc #Bears #caughtoncamera pic.twitter.com/KjN6CUJgBq
— angie goff (@OhMyGOFF) October 31, 2022
While startling, bear sightings have increased in Fairfax County in recent years, the police department told FFXnow in June after a bear was photographed crossing the GW Parkway in Belle Haven.
Bears were also reported near McLean Hamlet Park, in Vienna and in Arlington this summer. Reston resident Victor Toth told FFXnow on Sept. 27 that he spotted a bear crossing Soapstone Drive toward Frederick Crabtree Park around 8:45 a.m. that day.
“No picture yet, unfortunately, and while it was only medium sized it was beautiful nonetheless,” Toth said in an email.
It’s unclear if these have all been different bears or the same one or two popping up in different locations.
The Fairfax County Police Department anticipates that bears will continue to appear more frequently into the future, as the animal’s population grows and the county becomes more developed, making it harder for bears and humans to avoid contact.
“Bears have adapted to living near people and we must also learn to adapt to bear activity and take responsible action to prevent conflicts from occurring in our communities by removing food sources that attract bears,” police said in June.
Still, a bear in Tysons at this time of year may be particularly unusual. According to Fairfax County, bear sightings are more often reported during the spring and summer as bears venture out in search of food.
“Black bears hibernate early November through March or April, depending on food availability,” the county says on its website.
Located near the Spring Hill Metro station, Adaire Apartments has a small expanse of grass with a path and benches known as Great Lawn Park, but the area is otherwise decidedly urbanized. The bear could have traveled from McLean Hamlet Park, which is just over a mile away on the other side of the Dulles Toll Road, or across Route 7 from Tysons Forest.
Fairfax County’s Animal Protection Police doesn’t take action to remove black bears, but any issues can be reported to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) helpline at 855-571-9003.
The FCPD advises preventing conflicts by removing food sources that could attract the creatures.
Image via Google Maps
When Fairfax County’s new animal shelter opens next year, some of its first residents will likely come from across jurisdictional lines.
Last week, the Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the City of Fairfax to provide services and housing to animals under their care. The city cares for fewer than 100 animals a year. In 2021, it cared for 31 dogs, 20 cats, and 11 other small animals.
On track to open in the spring, the new South County Animal Shelter in Lorton is expected to provide plenty of space for these furry friends.
“[The Department of Animal Services] already has a long history of supporting the City with meeting their animal welfare needs,” a county staff report said. “With the opening of the second facility in Lorton in Spring 2023, DAS will have ample space and appropriate staffing to accommodate additional animals from the City.”
The 23,000-square-foot facility on Lorton Road will be the second county-operated shelter, joining the existing Michael R. Frey Animal Shelter on West Ox Road in Fairfax.
The South County Animal Shelter will likely begin operations in late spring when construction is completed, DAS Director Reasa Currier confirmed to FFXnow.
The board is expected to approve about $2 million to help provide services, staff and maintain the shelter as part of a fiscal year 2022 carryover package.
“This facility will allow us to substantially grow the geographic reach and impact of our work for the residents of Fairfax County,” Currier said by email. “Not only will we be able to create even more families through adoption, but the second shelter will provide a hub for essential services from behavior and training support, veterinary medical care, pet supplies, and other critical services that help keep pets together with their families.”
Currier says the Lorton shelter will be “similar in size and footprint” to the Fairfax one, with 88 dog kennels, 42 cat condos, 2 catios, and a “state-of-the-art” veterinary clinic. There will also be an 20,000-square-foot outdoor space for the animals.
Like other shelters nationwide, the county’s lone animal shelter has faced its share of capacity challenges. Even before recent influxes of rescued beagles as well as cats and rabbits, there was a clear need for more shelter space in the southern part of Fairfax County.
“For too long, the many services and resources provided by [DAS] have been inaccessible for the residents in South County,” Currier said. “We are very excited about the location and are looking forward to serving South County residents and their pets. We are already hearing from residents who live nearby the new shelter who are eager to begin volunteering and participating in our programs.”
The shelter will share a new $30 million building with the South County Police Station, which will be about 31,000 square feet and is expected to open at the same time.
The building will have a number of sustainability features, including electric vehicle charging stations and space for solar panels, and energy-efficient systems. Landscaping will be made up of native plants and be bird-friendly.
The facility is on Lorton Road between the intersections of Workhouse and Hooes roads. Called the “Triangle” by the county, the parcel was specifically acquired in 2001 for public safety use.
In 2015, voters approved a $151 million bond referendum that included money to fund the Lorton project, which broke ground last May.
