Specialized Services Division

TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT

With the exception of a few locations, the speed limit within the City of Manassas Park is 25 miles per hour (mph). The speed limit on Centreville Road (Route 28) is 35 mph, as is Signal View Drive, which passes by Signal Hill Park heading towards Manassas Drive. On Manassas Drive, from the exit of the General Ridge Golf Club westbound to Euclid Avenue, the speed limit is 35 mph. Beginning just east of Mace Street to Euclid Avenue, the speed limit is 25 mph on Manassas Drive. Euclid Avenue beginning north of Conner Drive over Manassas Drive and heading by the Manassas Park Middle and High Schools to Euclid Court are 25 mph. All residential areas and one-way streets are generally 25 mph and 15 mph, respectively unless otherwise posted.  

Polk Street, from Cabbel Drive, past Kirby Street, to Manassas Drive is Manassas Park’s first street to be designated an “enhanced penalty speeding zone”. Violations of the posted 15 mph limit result in a $200 fine plus court costs on this one-way residential street. 

Please be advised that all police officers will be enforcing the speed limits of these roads with RADAR-equipped patrol cars. Officers will utilize both marked and un-marked patrol cars, either in stationary, mobile, or pace mode. LIDAR (light detection and ranging) is also in use in the stationary mode only. Bicycle Patrol Officers are authorized to use stationary RADAR units as well!  

In an effort to curb motor vehicle accidents and respond to citizen complaints of speeding and aggressive driving in area neighborhoods, our agency will announce four primary radar enforcement and targeted aggressive driving locations in the City of Manassas Park.

For the Month of August 2008

Rosebud Court  (Speeding) 

Manassas Drive (Speeding) 

 Walden Street at Denver Drive (Stop Signs, Speeding)

Euclid Avenue (Speeding) 

 Community and Police Working Together = The City of Manassas Park  

The police officers, emergency communication specialists, administrative support and command staff personal of Manassas Park Police Department (MPPD) want to wish that all of their residents and daily visitors DRIVE SMART, SAFE, and SOBER this holiday season and throughout 2008. MPPD will be participating in several pro-active DUI/ DUID (driving under the influence/ driving under the influence of drugs) initiatives; such as sobriety checkpoints and mobile selective enforcement details, in support of the “NONE for the ROAD” campaign from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.  

For further information on these programs and others that deal with the law, public policy, victim services, program assistance, crash statistics, and general information please review the following links:

 VA Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control www.abc.state.va.us

VA Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) www.dmvnow.com

Washington Regional Alcohol Program www.wrap.org

(Checkpoint Strike Force)

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) www.madd.org

REMEMBER: 

FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS

DRINK and DRIVE!!! 

Slow Down… Watch Your Speed!  

Look Out For Children.

Obey Traffic Signs

A Stop Sign Means STOP!!!

Investigation Services Division

Detective H.M. Perry

Criminal Investigator

Investigator Perry has been serving the citizens of Manassas Park since 1989.  He is responsible for the investigation of major crimes that occur within the City, such as homicides, robberies, burglaries, and sexual assaults. 

To increase his knowledge, effectiveness, and investigative skills, Investigator Perry has attended courses in Death Investigation, Computer Crimes, Crimes Against Children, Criminal Behavior, and Interview and Interrogation Techniques just to name a few.   

Investigator Perry is also assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in an effort to stop predators from preying on our children via the internet.  As a result of his participation in this task force,  numerous arrests were made and a number of active cases are still under investigation. 

For more information on Criminal Investigation, please contact:

Detective Perry, Criminal Investigator              703-361-1136   h.perry@manassasparkva.gov                                                                   

Lieutenant Goodwin, ISD Commander           703-361-1136        

d.goodwin@manassasparkva.gov

Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force

Through the support of the Honorable Frank R. Wolf of Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, the Congress of the United States has funded the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force as part of the Department of Justice Appropriations Bill since July 2003.

The Gang Task Force was established as a multi-jurisdictional partnership comprised of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to address gang activity in Northern Virginia through dedicated officers and resources, thereby making the region inhospitable to gang activity. The Manassas Park Police Department is represented on this taskforce with one investigator who operates specifically on gang related activities that develop within the City, as well as investigations to reduce activities within the jurisdictions of the task force.

The goals of the Gang Task Force were built upon three component strategies: enforcement, prevention/education, and intervention. The result is a coordinated law enforcement and public information effort to combat gang activity.   

CALL 703-GET-HELP
The Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force
Resource Information Line

To confidentially report gang activity to law enforcement staff of the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, please call 1-866-NO-GANGS.

Prince William Area Gang Response Intervention Team (G.R.I.T.)

Serving Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park  

Gangs continue to be of concern in the Prince William Area and are being addressed through a well coordinated and comprehensive regional strategy of enforcement, education, prevention and intervention. The Gang Response Intervention Team (G.R.I.T.) is a dedicated group of concerned public and private citizens who want to bring a coordinated response to this challenging issue. The G.R.I.T. coordinator is available to answer questions concerning gangs or to help guide you to the resources you might need to help address a gang issue. 

Mission

The mission of the Prince William Gang Response Intervention Team is to bring together key public officials and community leaders from Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park (the Prince William Area) who can advise on and promote the coordination of, and encourage a collaborative community-based response to, the region’s gang prevention efforts. 

Goal

Prevent children, youth and young adults from gang involvement and assist gang-involved youth and young adults at-risk of gang involvement to leave the gang lifestyle. 

Objectives 

       Promote and support information sharing among all agencies and groups that have a stake in serving gang involved young people and those who are at risk of gang involvement, and their families.

       Educate and involve the community in a collective response to gang prevention and intervention, by raising awareness of gang issues and the availability of resources and possibilities for addressing those issues.

       Develop shared strategies for a collaborated and coordinated response to gang involvement.

       Assess gang involvement and its relationship to existing resources and prevention/intervention efforts, and develop strategies to prioritize and redirect resources.

       Identify additional funding opportunities to provide resources for G.R.I.T.

       Coordinate local gang prevention/intervention efforts with those of the Northern Virginia region.

Strategies  

       Cooperate in a comprehensive regional assessment of gang activity and prevention/intervention/suppression efforts in the Northern Virginia region and the Prince William Area. Develop a gang prevention/intervention strategic plan for the Prince William area based upon the regional assessment.

       Identify gaps in service and promote development of needed resources, or recommend the realignment of existing resources, to address those gaps.

       Monitor gang activity in the Prince William Area in general, as well as the impact of that activity on the community.

       Participate in gang prevention activities at the local, regional and state levels and ensure that the Prince William Area’s efforts are coordinated with those efforts.

       Provide information and outreach to parents and adults working with children and youth concerning gang issues and gang prevention.

For general information, or for gang prevention and intervention resources, contact the G.R.I.T. coordinator at:

Richard Buchholz

31^st Judicial District Court Service Unit

9540 Center Street, Suit 200

Manassas, Virginia 20110

703-792-5392

richard.buchholz@djj.virginia.gov

K-9 Teams

Manassas Park Police Canine (K-9) teams provide line support to members of the Department with highly mobile, specially trained police service dogs.  K-9 teams perform preventative patrol, including inspection activity, oriented toward prevention of crimes, maintenance of public order and responds to calls for services, traffic direction, and control.  The trained law enforcement K-9 team is a valuable supplement to police operations. 

Sergeant Jeff Shubert &

K-9 Partner Patton

Sergeant Jeff Shubert is a five year veteran of the Manassas Park Police Department and has been partnered with K-9 Patton for just under a year

K9 Patton is a Belgium Malinois born 10/14/05. According to the American Kennel Club, the main qualities which make a Belgium Malinois a desirable breed is that they have an easy to care for coat (fur), are medium sized, and extremely smart. The breed has always been known for its easy trainability and tracking skills, to name a few, which would make it quite dependable for police work.

On 10/05/07, Sergeant Shubert and K9 Patton graduated from a 220 hour K9 Team training course from Castle K9 in Mechanicsburg, PA. While there, both endured various classroom and practical exercises in patrol narcotic training designed to prepare the K9 Team for everyday life on the street. They trained on various topics; to include routine patrol work, narcotics detection, agility exercises, article and building searches, tracking, and aggression control.  Sergeant Shubert has also been to many patrol drug interdiction classes and has made numerous drug arrests in the City of Manassas Park and maintains an excellent conviction rate. 

Sergeant Shubert and K9 Patton are assigned to an afternoon/ midnight rotation. The K9 Teams work primarily at night because of the specific service calls that MPPD might receive, such as:

      Any crime in progress

      Alarm calls

      Peeping toms

      Building & open area searches

      Tracking

      Other assignments which may require a dog’s keen sense of smell or hearing  

 Information on K-9 Brutus and his handler will be posted at a later date, as they are on special assignment.

Regional Narcotic Task Force

What is the Regional Narcotic Task Force?

 
The taskforce is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics investigative unit serving the City of Manassas Park, City of Manassas, and Prince William County. The Task Force is composed of investigators from the above jurisdictions, as well as the Virginia State Police and various federal Law Enforcement Agencies. The primary focus of the Task Force is to reduce the availability of illegal substances by targeting individuals and groups involved in the importation, manufacturing, distribution, and possession of those substances. The Task Force conducts operations against street level dealers, major traffickers and clandestine laboratories.

Why does it take so long to investigate drug crimes?  

Police officers can not make an arrest or obtain a search warrant for drugs on mere suspicion. Anonymous tips from citizens about drug houses or individuals dealing drugs are important to police efforts, but is only a beginning in an actual drug investigation. Tips from citizens must be proved accurate independently by police officers in order for legal action to be taken. Sometimes independent verification may take months, other times it may occur in a matter of days.

What is Possession with Intent to Distribute?

Possession with Intent to Distribute may be best defined as a sufficient amount of an illegal substance that constitutes a higher penalty for its possession under Virginia Law. Each controlled substance has its own limit as to what may constitute either simple possession or trafficking.

What is Methamphetamine?

° Methamphetamine hydrochloride is a highly addictive narcotic that appears as an off-white or white powdery or chunky substance. Methamphetamine is known on the street as "speed", or "crank". The use of meth includes smoking, injecting or ingestion.
° In recent years, methamphetamine has been homemade in illegal clandestine laboratories operated by addicts and dealers.

What is "Ice"?

"Ice" is re-crystallized  methamphetamine or methamphetamine in its' purest state. Ice generally takes the form of clear crystallized chunks. It will dissolve in water and breaks down to smaller particles. The use of ice induces a sense of euphoria and stimulating the release of dopamine in the human brain. In this form, the drug can only be smoked. Ice is an extremely additive narcotic.

What is cocaine?

Cocaine is an alkaloid in the leaves of the South American shrub Erythroxylon coca and its powerful psycho stimulant which induces a sense of exhilaration by blocking the reuptake of neurotransmitter dopamine in the midbrain. Cocaine can be smoked (crack form), snorted, ingested or injected into the human body.

What is marijuana?

° Marijuana is a cultivated herbal plant. The marijuana plant is a unique, green, leafy plant. Marijuana use induces a euphoric effect on the brain by the inhalation of smoke containing THC, a psycho stimulant.
° Marijuana is the most common of all drugs in North America.
According to government statistics, about 140 million people-nearly 2.5% of the Earth's population-smoke marijuana.

What is "ecstasy"?

MDMA commonly referred to as ecstasy is a clandestinely created stimulant most commonly found in tablet or pill form. The drug is commonly refed to as "X" and is often distributed in nightclubs and on college campuses.

What is a meth lab?

Most simply, a meth lab is a certain collection of items, chemicals and equipment that, when used in certain orders, can produce methamphetamine.

How can I identify a meth lab?

A meth lab can be best identified through the collection of its parts.  A meth lab may not be a laboratory-type set up in one single location. The nature of clandestine methamphetamine manufacture indicates that meth lab components may be everyday household items, and therefore, not easily distinguishable by the layman. Indicators, such as a large number of starting fluid cans, drain cleaners, coffee filters, mason jars, matchbooks, sinus pills, or their blister packs, lithium batteries and propane tanks are indicative of a meth lab. Strong odors such as ether or ammonia may be present. The toxic natures of meth labs dictate extreme caution when dealing with them. If you suspect items may part of a meth lab, one should never open to move contents, but instead, call your MPPD at 703-361—136 or 911 depending on other circumstances.
How can I identify a drug house?

Dealers often use homes as a focal point for their customers to purchase drugs. Observations such as a high volume of short stay traffic or persons waiting outside for long periods of time-even in severe weather conditions-may indicate that a home is being used as a distribution point for illegal drugs.

How do I report drug activity in my area?

If you have information concerning drug activity in your area, there are several options for you, as a citizen, to report the activity. If you are in the Manassas Park area, you may call the Manassas Park Police Department at 703-361-1136.  You need not provide your name. You may also provide the appropriate information to our special traffic/criminal activity enforcement link listed below this section.

How do police officers obtain search warrants?

A search warrant for a residence or business suspected of being a distribution point for illegal narcotics is obtained through the lawful court order of a judge or magistrate. This order is given to police upon them providing documentation and sworn testimony to a judge or magistrate concerning suspected illegal activity at a given location. The police must demonstrate to the judge or magistrate probable cause to believe that the illegal activity is ongoing. Probable cause is more than just suspicion but less than absolute certainty. Typically narcotics investigations ending with a search warrant at a residence take weeks to months to complete.

What are some indicators of drug abuse?

° Symptoms of drug abuse vary from drug to drug. In addition, the length of time of abuse of a drug has a direct correlation to possible symptoms.
° Methamphetamine abuse generally exhibits itself, in the beginning, as a form of paranoia, severe sleeplessness, pasty skin, and reclusiveness towards family and friends. Whereas prolonged use generally displays a general disregard for personal hygiene, weight loss, and fornication, or "crank bugs"-a feverous scratching of the skin in a hallucinogenic state causing deep wounds.
° Cocaine abuse indicators generally begin with anxiety, depression, irritability, extreme fatigue, physical deterioration-usually manifesting itself in weight loss. Other indicators may include burned fingertips and lips (from utilizing a glass pipe in which to smoke crack cocaine), discolored front eyeteeth from the heat of the pipe, and pigmentation dispersal of the whites of the human eye. Cocaine creates an intense craving for more. Heavy users of cocaine may exhibit compulsive and repetitive patterns of behavior. Social consequences of heavy cocaine use may manifest itself as personal isolation and the pushing away of beloved family or friends. 

The Manassas Park Police Department encourages citizens to assist us in maintaining safe neighborhoods and streets.  By completing the Special Traffic/Criminal Activity Enforcement Request , our Officer's will know where, and when to set up radar or other proactive criminal enforcement efforts within the community in addition to our normal enforcement goals.