Major Jeffrey Mauro, the new Commander of the Mount Vernon District Police Station, sees policing as a “noble profession” that extends far beyond patrolling the streets. He explains: “Everyone wants to feel safe. We want to collaborate with the public to get them to trust us and build a relationship. Our ability to be successful is directly proportional to the public’s trust in us. We need the public.”

The Fairfax County Police Department’s number one mission is to prevent and fight crime, he stresses, and the police department has multiple tools, approaches and teams to carry out their mission. Examples:

* officers who respond to calls;

* officers who patrol in cruisers;

* neighborhood patrol or “bike teams,” officers who bike around the community to troubleshoot and interact with people. They do not respond to dispatch calls.

* detectives who investigate crimes, from the initial report to the courthouse;

* officers who pair with licensed clinicians to address mental health crises;

* a drone unit of officers who deploy drones the size of a notebook and drones four feet wide to, for example, search for someone with dementia who may have wandered away;

* community outreach officers who can, for example, help people make their property secure;

* helicopters that conduct search and rescue missions and do aeromedical evacuation; and

* a marine patrol unit that responds to emergencies on or near the water.

Extensive Experience

Mauro started his policing career in FCPD at the Franconia station working all three shifts as a patrol officer in a district that he says “offered good exposures for a young officer” because the Franconia district has residential and commercial areas, a mall and two interstate highways.

Then he was promoted to sergeant and supervised the midnight and evening squads and neighborhood patrol unit at the Mount Vernon station. Next, he advanced to second lieutenant and worked in the Fair Oaks Station and supervised the major crimes squad. In police lingo, “major crimes” means problems like missing persons, homicides, child abuse and sex crimes. These crimes require in-depth investigations by specialized detectives.        

At one point he supervised the department’s crisis intervention team. He’s very proud that the police department partners with the Community Services Board to have two people responding to some crisis situations, a police officer and a mental health professional, if, for example, someone is threatening to jump off a tall building. This pair together tries to de-escalate and assess the situation and calm the person down on site. In the past, officers would immediately take the person to Merrifield’s emergency clinic, called the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health.

Mauro is a co-founder of the department’s drone unit and also worked in the West Springfield and Mason District stations.

In February, he was promoted to major and began serving as interim commander at the Mount Vernon station when the former commander, Major Matthew Luik, retired. Mauro became permanent commander in April. He supervises 94 sworn officers, five auxiliary officers, 20 civilians and school crossing guards.

The new commander grew up in Los Angeles, California, and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree from Georgetown University. He is a Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services certified instructor.

Crimes in Mount Vernon

Asked about crime trends in the Mount Vernon area, he said that violent crimes like domestic violence, burglaries, assaults and stolen vehicles are trending down.

Spiking up are thefts of vehicle parts and larcenies from vehicles. Thefts from vehicles are usually from unlocked vehicles, “easily preventable crimes,” he notes. Shoplifting cases, especially from chain stores, have risen this year.

Police want to collaborate with local people, homeowner associations, businesses, elected officials, schools, the entire community Mauro says. The neighborhood patrol or bike teams can “hang out” with families at school bus stops, for instance he says.

On policing, he believes, “It’s more than going from one 911 call to the next 911 call to the next 911 call. It involves risk, long hours and helping people, serving the public. Law enforcement done well is a team sport.”

More Information

There are many ways to volunteer with the police department and opportunities for young people considering law enforcement careers. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/GetInvolved.

The department’s Mount Vernon Community Advisory Committee has a public meeting every third Wednesday, 7 p.m. Email MtVernonCAC@gmail.com.