Neighborhood Watch Update

By Charles Foster, Neighborhood Watch Committee Chair

Since the last update on our Neighborhood Watch effort, we have accomplished a lot. Since March, your team has (1) reviewed techniques for effective observation, (2) established a procedure for tracking foot patrols, (3) received formal training from the Fairfax County Police Department, (4) reviewed how to utilize and interact effectively with the police, and (5) reviewed how to ban unwanted trespassers from the property. You are welcome to join the team at any time and receive the training that will make you a skilled guardian of the community. Your contribution can be small or large, whatever you have the time to do. If interested, please contact Chuck Foster at chuckfost@aol.com.  

The FCPD provides crime mapping, which shows time, place, and offense. The map shows up to six months of reported crime in any area of the County you choose. For the following statistics, the latest six-month history was used and the geographic area chosen goes north of our cluster to the Dulles Toll Road, east to Hunter Mill Road, south to Glade Road, and west to Soapstone Drive. Listed below is what the map shows. Keep in mind these are only reported offenses.

Reported Offense	Number
Larceny/Theft	28
Destruction of Property	13
Drug Related	6
Assault	4
Burglary	3
Disorderly Conduct	1

Under the category of larceny, ten cases involved theft from an auto. Most of these cases were in a single cluster east of Barton Hill Road. Thirteen of these cases involved shoplifting, most of which occurred at our local Safeway. Under the category of destruction of property, three cases involved graffiti. Four of the drug-related offenses occurred at or near South Lakes High School.        

As for arrest statistics, the FCPD provides numbers by year. In 2016, across the entire Reston District, the highest number of arrests was for drug-related (467), drunkenness (353), assault (254), other (230), larceny (180), DWI (132), liquor violation (121), and trespassing (114).  

As you know, Reston is experiencing a building boom, which includes Metro, residential, and commercial properties. With this trend come a higher and more transient population, more traffic, and, potentially, more crime. In January of 2016, Fairfax County projected that the population of Reston will grow by 27% by the year 2030, only 13 years away. In addition, Metro predicts that “Phase 2” of the Silver Line, which will extend deep into Loudoun County, will be complete by 2020. Major developers have already purchased adjacent land to capitalize on Metro’s completion. These trends alert us that we will need to maintain vigilance to keep Lakeport the safe and wonderful community that it is.