Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Biographical/Historical Note

The Falls Church Police Department was established in 1948. Before that law enforcement in the small Virginia village had been a low-key affair since its formation in 1875. At the beginning of the 20th century Falls Church had only one policeman. In the late 1930s Falls Church became a satellite town as more and more people working in Washington, D.C. chose to live in the suburbs. This created a need for additional staff, and the sergeant was joined by two full-time assistants.

After the end of World War II in 1945, the District of Columbia began to develop rapidly and the population of Falls Church increased. The number of police officers grew to seven, and in 1947 four more officers joined the force.

In 1948 Falls Church became an independent city. Elliot H. Howe was elected Chief of Police and a permanent police force of 14 officers was formed. Uniforms were approved, and the first 24-hour station was opened at 222 N. Washington Street. Later new positions were opened for women as traffic inspectors and school crossing guards.

Since then more than 400 men and women have served in the Falls Church Police Department. Today's police work is not only aimed at solving crime but also at preventing crime.

The permanent location of the Police is located at 300 Park Ave., East Wing, Ground Level Falls Church.

The current Falls Church Police Department consists of the following divisions: Animal Control, Investigations, Parking Control, Traffic Control, K-9 Unit, School Resource Officer, and Uniformed Patrol Police.

Scope and Content

The Police archive covering 1939 to 2024, consists of the following documents: Statistics, Reports, Plans, Resolutions.

The series is organized as follows: