Police Plan First Community Outreach Meetings Under Restructuring Plan

Arlington County police are planning a new round of community outreach meetings starting tonight (Thursday), the first quarterly gatherings under a restructuring plan designed to roll back some of the department’s services.

Communities in the northern half of the county will get a chance to meet with a police outreach team at the Bozman Government Center (2100 Clarendon Blvd) at 7 p.m. Thursday night. Anyone living in the southern sections of Arlington will have a similar opportunity this coming Wednesday (July 18) at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street).

The county once had enough officers to attend regular meetings with individual civic associations to discuss community concerns. But the department’s staffing challenges have forced Chief M. Jay Farr to cut back on some services as he tries to recruit new officers, and, starting in mid-May, Farr is devoting officers only to squads covering the northern and southern halves of the county.

They’ll now hold quarterly meetings with community members, like the ones planned for this month, instead of the more frequent check-ins. In a release, the department said the July meetings will also include a presentation on fraud prevention and “how you can protect yourself as a consumer.”

Police have contact information for the outreach teams available on the county’s website.

If you’re unsure about which meeting to attend, the county also has a tool available where you can enter your address and see if you should speak with the northern or southern outreach team.

Photo courtesy of Blake Tippens