FRANCONIA, Va. — Fairfax County Police are rolling out patrol units that resemble the Tysons Urban Team (TUT) to help battle retail theft at more shopping centers.
Chief Kevin Davis recently unveiled a drop in most crimes in the county, but shoplifting remains a big problem that he described as the police department’s “Achilles heel.” New data showed there was a 17% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. The number of cases jumped from 8,169 to 9,615.
Meanwhile, the only district in the county to see a drop in shoplifting is the Tysons and McLean area. Police credit the TUT team, a special patrol unit established in 2013 to combat retail theft…