Supervisor Margaret Franklin is pressing county officials for a solution to a rash of deadly shootings.
Many of the violent acts occurred in the Woodbridge Magisterial District, which she was elected to represent.
Ten people have been shot and killed this year in Prince William County. In 2019, there were 14 murders and 22 in 2016. On top of that, county police have investigated 25 other shooting incidents in 2022.
A 9-year-old girl was shot by a stray bullet in Woodbridge on May 24 while playing outside her home in the Rippon Landing section of Woodbridge. A 15-year-old was later charged, and, in June, Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham said the child suffered injuries that will likely last a lifetime.
Most recently, on Thursday, September 1, two men were shot and one killed during a police drug investigation in Dale City.
“This is something we must take very seriously,” said Franklin during a Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, September 6. “With each incident, we’re having to answer questions, and we want to have actual action items in place to let our residents know we’re taking this seriously.”
Acting County Executive Elijah Johnson said he’s working with multiple departments, including police, to develop recommendations for stopping the violence. However, he said it might be November before the guidance is released.
“I’m hoping we don’t have to wait until November to get things going,” replied Franklin.
Franklin’s push for solutions comes as the police department scrambles to hire 100 new officers to replace those who have retired or moved onto another line of work. Since the riots that affected communities across the U.S., including Manassas and Fredericksburg, in 2020, police recruiters have struggled to fill open positions.
In April, the Board of County Supervisors passed its largest budget, a $3.8 billion funding plan (12 percent larger than the previous year). It provided record funding to the county schools while hiking taxes for homeowners, leaving them with an average $4,389 property tax bill.
The record budget included zero funding for more police officers. However, 16 positions within the department were “civilianized,” allowing the sworn officers in those roles to return to the streets.
The Prince William County Police Department received a 93% citizen satisfaction rating on the county’s most recent resident survey.
In 2020, Franklin was the driving force to establish a Racial and Social Justice Commission. During its first year in 2021, the Board of County Supervisors tasked the commission to investigate the county police department’s hiring practices.
The commission spent months examining an unfounded report of racism lobbied at the department by the husband of Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey. Cozy Bailey, president of the county’s NAACP chapter, said an officer used a racial slur after addressing officers at a police department annual meeting in September 2017.
Bailey was unable to tell police who uttered the word. After waiting more than 1,200 days to report the incident, it is impossible to find discrimination or retaliatory motivation in the case, police said.
A total of 45 police officers, including members of the department’s top brass and six retired officers, were questioned as part of the investigation ordered by the county executive.
Franklin was critical of the police department when, on May 29, 2020, officers from multiple agencies, including Fairfax County and Virginia State Police, used tear gas to keep rioters on Sudley Road at bay.
Four police officers were seriously injured due during the riot. Of the eight people arrested during the riots that spanned two days, Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth tossed out charges for five suspects.
