Data show no major spikes in Vienna crime rate - Inside NoVA

Vienna experienced yet another low-crime year in 2016, with most categories staying steady or falling and only a few showing increases.

According to Vienna police statistics recently released, there were 68 crimes against persons last year, down from 83 in 2015 and 93 in 2012.

“Overall, it’s like it has been in previous years,” Vienna Police Chief James Morris said of the low crime figures. “Nothing jumps out at me as a trouble area that’s brewing.”

The town in 2016 continued its long streak of no homicide cases, but that trend ended this year with a June 11 murder-suicide.

Most major-crimes categories had so few incidents that drawing meaningful contrasts with previous years’ numbers is difficult.

There were three kidnapping/abduction cases in 2016, down from five the previous year; four forcible-sex offenses, down from five in 2015; three non-forcible-sex cases in 2016, up from none the previous four years; and three aggravated-assault cases last year (one of them domestic), down from seven (two domestic) in 2015.

Vienna police investigated no robbery cases in 2016, down from three the previous year.

Simple-assault cases, as usual, made up the bulk of major-crimes offenses. There were 55 such cases last year (20 domestic), down from 63 (19 domestic) in 2015 and 86 (22 domestic) in 2012.

There were 556 property crimes reported in the town last year, up just one from 2015’s total. As was the case in 2015, Vienna police last year investigated no cases involving bribery, gambling or prostitution.

Vienna last year had just one case each of arson and stolen-property offenses, the same for both categories as in 2015. There were 14 burglary/breaking-and-entering cases in 2016, up by one from the previous year’s total but less than half of the 31 recorded in 2012.

Counterfeiting/forgery cases hit 45 last year, a higher total than the that of the three previous years combined. Vienna police last year recorded nine thefts of motor vehicles, up from four the previous year, and nine weapons-law violations, up from seven in 2015.

The department in 2016 investigated 111 destruction/damage/vandalism cases (down from 126 the previous year) and 127 drug/narcotic offenses (down from 129). Fraud offenses declined sharply from 115 in 2015 to 77 last year.

Rounding out the property-crimes category were three embezzlement cases and two involving pornography/obscene material (both up from none the previous year) and three extortion/blackmail cases, up from two in 2015.

Town police investigated 409 “Group B” offenses last year, down from 431 in 2015. There were no cases involving bad checks in 2016 (down from one in 2015); one case of disorderly conduct (down from seven); 63 incidents of driving while intoxicated (down from 67); 43 drunk-in-public cases (down from 52); 28 liquor-law violations (down from 49); and 28 trespassing cases (up from 24). There also were 246 other offenses or reports in this crime category last year, up from 231 in 2015.

Vienna police responded to 10,966 dispatched events in 2016, which was down from 12,723 the previous year and far lower than the 16,925 recorded in 2012.

Officers responded to 35 bank alarms last year (down from 43 in 2015); 552 other alarm cases (down from 576); there were 378 animal cases (down from 439); seven cases of deaths by natural, accidental or unknown causes (down from 11); 27 calls involving open doors or windows (down from 28); 374 calls for police services (up from 356); 24 missing-person/runaway cases (down from 34); and 105 vehicle tow-ins (up from 71).

Some dispatched-event categories were way down last year. Vienna police investigated 605 traffic complaints (down from 963 in 2015); handled 59 warrants (down from 83); and were dispatched to 8,782 other incidents, including traffic stops, suspicious events and business checks (down from 10,113).

Arrests were down slightly overall last year, with town police collaring 527 people on 557 offenses, down from 559 arrests for 611 offenses in 2015.

In the Group A major-crimes category, Vienna police last year arrested 20 juveniles for 20 offenses and 169 adults on 182 offenses, for a total of 189 arrests on 202 offenses. In 2015, the department arrested 44 juveniles on 46 offenses and 158 adults for 165 offenses, for a total of 202 arrests for 211 offenses.

Group B crime arrests also declined from 357 arrests on 400 offenses in 2015 to 338 arrests on 355 offenses last year. Those totals in 2016 included 36 juveniles arrested for 36 offenses and 302 adults arrested on 319 offenses.

Town police issued 7,434 traffic citations in 2016, up slightly from 7,427 the previous year, and gave out 534 parking tickets last year, compared with 631 in 2015. The lower figures are due in part to the retirement of a former auxiliary police officer who was assigned to write parking tickets, Morris said.

Vienna police responded to 446 vehicle crashes last year, up from 424 in 2015. Last year’s total of 146 crashes involving only property damage was identical to 2015’s tally. There were 86 personal-injury crashes in 2016, up from 65 the previous year, but no fatal crashes, following a trend that stretches at least as far back as 2012.

The department last year handled four hit-and-run crashes involving personal injury, the same total as in 2015, and 22 hit-and-run cases involving property damage, down from 27 in 2015.

There were 108 non-reportable crashes in 2016, down from 118 the previous year, and 80 non-reportable hit-and-run accidents, up from 64 in 2015.

Vienna police over the past year have stepped up their crime-data analysis, including statistics for vehicle crashes, Morris said. The top eight crash sites are on Maple Avenue; Nos. 9 and 10 are on Nutley Street. Town police will step up traffic enforcement in the coming year, especially during construction along Interstate 66, and will ponder ways to prevent crashes, the chief said.

The department will be down two officers when another leaves for graduate school soon. Morris has taken lately to hiring some retired Fairfax County officers, including former homicide and robbery supervisors.

Such seasoned personnel may be added quickly and bring valuable experience to the department overnight, but Morris also likes to hire young officers.

“You want some guys to grow with the department and be the department’s future,” he said.

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