Arrests for Murder, Robbery, Car Thefts 'Steady' in Fairfax County in 2012, Police Say

Despite an increasing population in the area, the amount of violent crime in Fairfax County does "fluctuate some, but the incidents of crime, as well as the number of arrests, haven’t drastically risen or fallen from year to year," said Fairfax County Public Information Officer Lucy Caldwell. 

The Virginia State Police earlier this month released their annual Crime in Virginia report showing the number of arrests for various crimes by jurisdiction. See the full Crime in Virginia 2012 report here.

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Across Virginia, murders and non-negligent homicides rose from 2011 to 2012 from 3.77 incidents per 100,000 people to 3.86 incidents per 100,000 people. However, homicides have overall been on a downward trajectory the past several years from a high of 5.33 incidents per 100,000 people in 2007.

In Virginia, forcible sex offenses were 63.04 in 2011 and decreased to 62.22 in 2012 per 100,000 people; the rate was 71.64 back in 2006. 

The Fairfax County Police Department credits a close working relationship with the public as a factor in the county's relatively low crime rate compared to other areas of the state.

The department also uses intelligence-led policing, which focuses on quick identification of crime hot spots, trends and prevention. 

Fairfax County Violent Crime Data

"It is important to note that some of the arrests may pertain to cases in the previous year [or years]; so this data really doesn’t illustrate precisely a drastic drop in either incidents of crime or number of arrests for crimes," Caldwell said. "If there are fewer crimes being committed, then there would be fewer potential arrests, most likely."

Regarding forcible sex offenses, Caldwell said the numbers for forcible sex offenses and homicides are calculated based on the number of victims — not the number of cases.

Property Crimes

Property crimes (burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts) decreased more than 3 percent across the commonwealth.

Motor vehicle thefts specifically decreased 8 percent across Virginia, according to the Virginia State Police, in 2012. They do tend to increase in the summer months, when people may leave their windows open (making it easier for would-be criminals to gain access).

In Fairfax County, 113 people were arrested for motor vehicle theft in 2012, and 20 of those people were juveniles. That’s a 19.3 percent decrease from 2011, when 140 people (including 49 juveniles) were arrested for motor vehicle theft.

In January, preliminary data showed 812 motor vehicles were stolen in Fairfax County in 2012, according to Fairfax County Police. That was a decrease of 7.8 percent from 2011 and a decrease of 15.7 percent from 2010.

• Read more about 2012 crime trends across Virginia here from the Virginia State Police.
• See complete data from 2011 here.