The Mount Vernon police station’s new commander, Major Matthew Luik, has a “sense of ownership” and a “sense of service,” he explained in a Sept. 9 interview at the Mount Vernon Government Center station. He has a sense of ownership because he grew up in Fairfax County’s Burke area and graduated from James W. Robinson Secondary School, he said. He has a sense of service, because he is continuing his family’s history of public service in the military and in government.

A 23-year veteran of the Fairfax County police force who started as a patrol officer in McLean, Luik has handled everything from street crimes to murders to hostage barricades.  He was the leader of the Sully station’s SWAT team.  SWAT stands for special weapons and tactics, officers trained to address incidents threatening public safety that exceed traditional law enforcement officers’ capabilities.

A station commander oversees personnel, in this station, 109 sworn officers, five auxiliary officers and 20 civilians, including school crossing guards.  A commander also makes assignments and does “data analytics,” Luik explained. He tries to identify safety issues and determine, for example, where crimes are spiking.  

Police recruiting by the department countywide is challenging, he remarked. Referencing the county’s diverse population, he said, “We must match the county that we police.” He worries that many young people today have “lost that sense of service.” 

Luik applauds the Fairfax County Police Department’s resources, many that their counterparts in other areas lack. County officers have mandatory trainings in many areas, including de-escalation tactics and in newly-enacted laws. The department has helicopters, search and rescue teams, a marine patrol of three boats, and drones. They use drones to find missing people, analyze traffic accidents and study crime scenes, for example.

“A school shooting is the worst thing that can happen to a community,” he offered. “Number one for us is to protect our children.” He said that every Fairfax County high school has a police officer serving as a school resource officer the entire school day. Middle schools typically share an officer. The county’s elementary schools do not have school resource officers because of “resource limitations,” he said.

Luik expects the public to become partners, to “build trust” and he urges people to “let us know what’s going on. You can talk to us at any time,” he urged. The Citizen Advisory Committee for the Mount Vernon district meets monthly on the second Thursday. A crime prevention officer attends community meetings and can offer safety guidance on topics like how to secure one’s residence.

For the Mount Vernon area, Luik finds motor vehicle theft rates to be too high, but 2024 numbers are down 11 percent from 2023. Many of these thefts occur because people leave their cars unlocked or leave keys in the car, he said.

The toughest part of his job? “Sitting at a desk,” he amusedly quipped, mildly reminiscing about his former work “on the streets.” A top priority is “ensuring that the officers are safe.”

Crime Statistics

FCPD’s website offers some revealing statistics, a continually updated “crime mapping dashboard.” 

Countywide data for crimes against a person show, for example, increases from 2022 to 2023 in assaults, residential burglaries, auto thefts and shoplifting; decreases in murders, carjackings and commercial robberies.  

For the county’s eight police districts in 2024 as of Sept. 10, 2024, the Mount Vernon district had the second highest number of crimes against a person. Mason District was slightly higher. For crimes against property Mount Vernon has the third highest of all districts, with Franconia second and Mason district first.

Tables also show, for example, victims by race, sex, age and ethnicity, types of crimes and crimes by the day of the week and time of day. 

The Mount Vernon Police District generally includes most of the Mount Vernon magisterial district and the part of Franconia magisterial district east of Telegraph Road.  

Information

Citizen Advisory Committee, MtVernonCAC@gmail.com  

Statistics, https://www.fcpod.org/