The Criminal Justice Services Board of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services has, once again, approved and recognized Fairfax County as a Certified Crime Prevention Community. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors acknowledged the achievement yesterday with presentations made to Police Chief, Colonel David M. Rohrer and Master Police Officer Patrick Lucas, a Crime Prevention Officer assigned to the McLean Police District.

The Certified Crime Prevention Community program was created in 1998 by a directive from the Governors Commission for Community Safety. It was designed to promote community safety and to recognize policies and practices used by safe, low-crime communities. Fairfax County, along with 14 other jurisdictions in Virginia, is known for sending a strong message to the public that crime will not be tolerated in the county and that governing officials will take all reasonable efforts to eliminate it.

Specific exemplary Fairfax County Police Department programs highlighted by the Criminal Justices Services Board include:

Road DAWG (Dont Associate with Gangs) Summer Camp; this program is designed to help young people enhance their healthy decision-making skills enabling them to resist the draw of gangs and drugs.

ChildSafeNets PCASO (Protecting Children Against Sex Offenders) Program; Fairfax County Police Department was the first law enforcement partner in their mission of protecting children from dangerous sexual predators both on the Internet, as well as in the community.

Localities that are certified to be Crime Prevention Communities must go through the certification process every three years.