Sketch of Attacker

The Crime Prevention Unit just released this sketch of the man who assaulted a teenage girl on Franconia Road. The attack was in the Rose Hill area of Franconia Rd, but as you see, the suspect is mobile on a bicycle. If you know of anyone coming close to the description, please call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131, or send an email to Officer Nida at James.Nida@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Online Predators

Popular Internet social network MySpace said on Tuesday it detected and deleted 29,000 convicted sex offenders on its service, more than four times the figure it had initially reported.

The company, owned by media conglomerate News Corp, said in May it had deleted about 7,000 user profiles that belonged to convicted offenders. MySpace attracts about 60 million unique visitors monthly in the United States.

The new information was first revealed by U.S. state authorities after MySpace turned over information on convicted sex offenders it had removed from the service.

"The exploding epidemic of sex offender profiles on MySpace -- 29,000 and counting -- screams for action," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement.

Blumenthal, who led a coalition of state authorities to lobby MySpace for more stringent safeguards for minors, and other state AGs have demanded the service begin verifying a user's age and require parental permission for minors.

The minimum age to register on MySpace is 14.

"We're pleased that we've successfully identified and removed registered sex offenders from our site and hope that other social networking sites follow our lead," MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam said in a statement.

The service has come under attack over the past year after some of its young members fell prey to adult predators posing as minors. The families of several teenage girls sexually assaulted by MySpace members sued the service in January for failing to safeguard its young members.
Late last year, it struck a partnership with background verification company Sentinel Tech Holdings Corp. to co-develop the first U.S. national database of convicted sex offenders to make it easier to track offenders on the Internet.

Convicted sex offenders are required by law to register their contact information with local authorities. But the information has only been available on regional databases, making nationwide searches difficult.

As of May, there were about 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States.

For parents: Learn how to better protect your childrenFor parents:

For kids: Don't believe the type

Fairfax County police are on the lookout for a man who assaulted a teenage girl in Franconia.

Investigators say the 13-year-old girl from Alexandria was walking home Monday evening on the 5,900 block of Franconia Road (near the intersection of Franconia and Van Dorn) when a man on a bicycle went to attack her.

Police say the suspect got off his bike and grabbed the teen from behind in a bear hug. Officers say the girl elbowed the suspect and broke free. She then kicked the suspect and ran away unharmed.

The suspect was described only as about 5'9" tall with short brown hair and a lot of freckles. He was wearing a white baseball cap, blue jeans and possibly a white T-shirt.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS(8477) or 703-691-2131.

Be sure to join us on Tuesday, July 31st @ 7pm at the Franconia Government Center for a Child Safety Presentation so Greenwood children can learn techniques to defend themselves should a stranger approach. Bring a friend and come hungry as we will be serving pizza for all. A parent or guardian must accompany children under 16 years of age.

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Metro Safety

Metro Transit Police have arrested four area men for allegedly breaking into more than 50 vehicles in a Fairfax County Metro station parking garage.

Police say the four broke into 52 vehicles in June and stole more than 100 items, including global positioning systems, car televisions and even a sports utility vehicle. All of the thefts occurred at the 5,069 space parking garage at the Franconia-Springfield station in Springfield, Va.

According to detectives, the men arrived together in a vehicle and visited each floor of the garage, breaking into cars.

“Two officers from the auto theft detail spotted three of the suspects breaking into some vehicles in late June and immediately arrested two of the men. Video of the third suspect at the station and interviews assisted us in tracking down the other suspects,” said Capt. David Webb, commander of the criminal investigation division.

Police arrested Maurice Conyers, 22, of Southeast Washington and Darryl Walker, 20, of Hagerstown, Md., on June 25. Randy Smith, 19, of Northeast Washington, and Kevin Wilson, 22, of Northeast Washington, were arrested last Friday. The men face several charges, including grand larceny in Fairfax County.

Transit Police remind motorists to not leave valuables in their vehicles and use anti-theft devices, such as alarms, steering wheel locks and window etching.

For more information on how to prevent auto theft click here

According to Fairfax County Police - it is important to report any items stolen no matter how small. Many times an officer will be in a situation where they believe a suspect is in possession of stolen items, but if a report has not been filed on the items in question, no arrests can be made.

Online Safety

Internet safety is a concern for parents and kids. There are many informative sites about this topic online. One of the best sites out there is http://wiredsafety.org/

WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. They help victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. They also help parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.

The following information on Online Safety was from their sister site Teenangels. In addition to Teenangels they also operate WiredKids, CyberLawEnforcement, StopCyberbullying, and Internet Super Heroes, as well as WiredSafety.org

Online Safety Tips For Kids From Kids...
(in their own [uncensored] words)

1. Always ask your parents before you use the Internet.

2. Never give out your information or your name, address, phone number, school, or parent's name.

3. Don't lie about your age so you can go to a site on the Internet.

4. Don't buy anything without your parent's permission or if they are not there.

5. Never use bad language or you could get kicked off the Inter-net & never be able to go on again.

6. Don't ever open or answer any e-mail from people you don't know.

7. Never send a picture on the Internet to anyone you don't know.

8. Never ask to meet a person in real life you met on the Internet.

9. If somebody says he is a manager of 'N Sync & you get free tickets & signed stuff & asked you if you wanted it say "no" because it could be a lie or maybe he could be a scum bag.

10. If someone says there is a sale at the GAP & they need your address & phone number always say no.

11. Be careful of bad people on the Internet or you definitely will get hurt.

12. If someone is disobeying the rules, ignore them!

13. Never believe anyone if they tell you how old they are. Even if you think you can ask them questions only a kid would know the answers to, it doesn't prove they're really a kid.

14. Tell your parents if anything goes wrong.

Maggie's Advice

Maggie also wanted parents to know how she feels about them snooping into kids' e-mail & invading their privacy.

1. If you have your child's password, don't snoop around in their e-mail.

2. If you want to check their e-mail go through it with them.

She also wrote a letter on behalf of all kids to their parents that she wanted to share.

Dear Mom & Dad: I know all of the rules for safety online. I know that there are people out there who might want to hurt me. But don't worry, they won't catch me off-guard. Safety is important but I don't feel comfortable with you reading my mail unless you tell me first. I also want you to know that I know a lot of the rules for online safety. Here are some of the ones I would tell a friend that has never been online before: Don't talk to strangers. Don't download anything without your parents permission, it might have a virus. Hopefully you can trust me now.

Love, Your Son/Daughter

Click here to play Playing It Safe, an online safety game for sleuths and problem-solvers.

Neighborhood Watch Leads to an Arrest

A Neighborhood Watch volunteer called the police about a suspicious person in the Windermere neighborhood in Great Falls. On Wednesday, July 11 at about 6:30 p.m., officers responded to the area. Police identified the 20-year-old man and learned that he was soliciting without a license. The suspect collected several donations for a bogus baseball team.

Greenwood has a no solicitors policy yet we see solicitors all the time. As seen in the arrest in Great Falls - sometimes these solicitors can be criminals out for your hard earned money.

If someone knocks at your door it is always a good idea to answer with the door closed (this way, if it is a criminal looking for an empty home they know someone is home) but you do not have to open the door for a solicitor.

All solicitors must carry a license in Fairfax County. Please ask to see their license. If they do not have one, call non emergency police at 703-691-2131.

Kids Safety Presentation

Congratulations to the kids and parents of Greenwood! According to Officer Nida, we had the largest turn out for a Kids Safety Presentation so far!

Unfortunately, the partition that separates the meeting room into two was broken, and with another HOA's Board meeting taking place at the same time, Officer Nida's portion of the evening will be rescheduled for Tuesday, July 31 @ 7pm.

Nonetheless, we were able to show to the families a presentation on safety within Greenwood. Special thanks to fellow neighbor Ariel BenYishay who realized the importance of communication between the adults and children of Greenwood. Ariel developed a presentation on how we can work together so children can have the freedom and fun of enjoying the neighborhood safely, while being respectful of property and noise levels.

Part of the beauty of Greenwood is how many happy children there are living and playing within our streets. Sometimes it feels to neighbors there may be more kids than there are adults able to supervise, and sometimes it feels to the kids that there's only streets and no place to play and enjoy the summer. Which is why developing relationships among families and neighbors is key for our kids' safety and our common well-being.

The kids who came out on Tuesday night certainly had some fun -- their friendly faces and willingness to participate greatly added to the event. Here is a photo of some of the kids last night after enjoying all the yummy pizza.

While it is disappointing Officer Nida's presentation had to be rescheduled, it opens up the possibility for even more children to attend on the 31st.

We look forward to seeing you all on the 31st!

Aggressive Driving on Seatrend

On Seatrend Way at 8:30pm on Tuesday evening, a silver Acura TL illegally passed a moving car on the Right hand side narrowly missing parked cars then passed another moving car on the Left had side of that car. This driver then sped down the rest of Seatrend.

This same car has been seen speeding on Seatrend on previous occasions. It is unknown if the driver of the car is a resident of Greenwood or just a frequent visitor.

As mentioned in the post on children safety in the neighborhood, there is not a lot of free space in Greenwood and you will see many kids playing along the sides of Seatrend - especially during summer months with the warmer weather and longer days.

All residents need to be respectful of the speed limit and need to ask your guests and visitors to drive safely as well. To help enforce the safety of your neighborhood, if you see anyone speeding or driving aggressively, please report these drivers to the Police Department through an online form for reporting aggressive drivers https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/traf_sfty_report.htm


For more information on Fairfax County Traffic Safety Programs, please click here.

Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC)

Franconia CAC (Citizens’ Advisory Committee) meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of each month and are usually held at the Franconia District Police Station.

The next meeting is Wednesday, July 21st, at 5 p.m, at King Street Blues (5810 Kingstowne Center, 703-313-0400). It is a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting our Officers at the Franconia Station.

September 19th is back at the Franconia District Police Station at 7:30 p.m., Social time starts at 7:00 p.m.in the community room of the Franconia Government Center.

The CAC works; these meetings are very informative and help to keep residents of the Franconia area aware of what police activities are going on in their community.

Everyone is welcome.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/lee/CalendarofEvents/pol_citadviscomm.htm

How To Keep Your BBQ Flame Free

ABC News interviewed Mary Kay Welch who lost her home in the fire on Dakine. The fire started due to an unattended grill. All five connected townhouses were damaged. Three of the homes burned down; the last two had severe water and smoke damage. Here is the link to the story ABC ran last week on how to prevent grill fires.

Click here to read the article.

Mary Kay attended the Board meeting last Thursday to discuss the progress of the rebuild. We were sorry to hear it is not going well due to a number of circumstances. One of the issues was insurance policies with under appreciated values of the home. Mary Kay urges all members of Greenwood to review their policies to prevent the hassles and hardships that the families of Dakine are experiencing.

On a happier note, congratulations to Chris and Mary Kay who were married on July 7 (7/7/07)!

The Cost of Safety

Sometimes its difficult to put a price tag on safety. But what if you could make your family and neighborhood safer for about 3-5 cents a day?

Seems like a silly question with an obvious answer doesn't it. Yet every night when you look around the neighborhood more than half of the homes do not have their exterior lights on.

(1) Leaving your exterior lights on cost pennies per day - and - (2) even less if you purchase purchase energy saving fluorescent light bulbs (CFL).

All crime is 90% opportunity. One of the easiest ways to deter crime is to have a well lit environment. Criminals hide in the comfort of darkness. Leaving your exterior lights on will go a long way to prevent an opportunity for a crime to take place.

Look for yourself at the difference it makes when a number of houses all on one street have their lights on compared to a street with very little lighting.

Together we can Leave the Lights On for Safety.

(1) http://www.ceqna.com/other/445-other.html
(2) http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ess-p2-brightidea-whydoit.doc

Fireworks Safety

Fireworks are an American tradition. They can provide hours of wholesome,
family entertainment, but must be used by adults carefully and
safely. To insure the safety of both the audience and those lighting the
fireworks, Fairfax County Police Department recommend the following fireworks safety guidelines:

1. Never let children handle fireworks; only adults should handle and light the
fireworks.
2. Do not use alcohol while lighting or handling fireworks.
3. Follow the laws; use common sense.
4. Use fireworks on a hard, flat surface.
5. Use in a clear, open area away from buildings, vehicles, and shrubbery.
6. Keep clear of the fireworks.
7. Use care in handling and lighting the fireworks.
8. Light one firework item at a time.
9. Don't use malfunctioning or "Dud"- items.
10. Have an accessible fire extinguisher or a supply of water close by.
11. Be cautious of lighting any fireworks during strong wind conditions.
12. Never use the fireworks as a weapon by pointing them or throwing them at another person or property.
13. Store fireworks in a cool, dry place and dispose of them properly.
14. Use fireworks outdoors; never use fireworks indoors.
15. Purchase fireworks only from reliable, licensed dealers.
16. Safety glasses are recommended for those lighting the fireworks and for those who are in close proximity to the fireworks.
17. Be considerate of pets and animals that may be frightened by the fireworks
18. Do not transport fireworks on airplanes.

Be aware that it is easier than ever to purchase fireworks via the Internet which could result in purchases that may be illegal in the state of VA or may be of poor quality.

Any firework which explodes, emits a flame or sparks higher than 12 feet, or performs as a projectile is prohibited by the Fairfax County Fire Prevention Code. A permit is required for the sale of all fireworks, and these permits are only valid from June 1 to July 15 of each year.
Many fireworks are not available in Northern Virginia because they are illegal. Firecrackers, cherry bombs, and skyrockets are just a few examples of fireworks which may be purchased in other areas, but are illegal here. Since even the possession of unapproved fireworks is prohibited in Fairfax County, such fireworks will be confiscated and the person possessing them can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. This carries a maximum penalty of a $2,500 fine and/or up to one-year in jail.

For more on fireworks safety please visit the National Council on Fireworks Safety at http://www.fireworksafety.com/choose.htm

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY!

PIZZA PARTY - Keeping Greenwood Kids Stay Safe

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 10th for a free presentation from the Fairfax County Police on Children Safety. Fun safety activities for children of all ages!


The event will take place at 7pm at the Governmental Center on Franconia Road in the Helen Wilson Room.


Come enjoy pizza and hear one of our local police officers explain what we can do to make sure our kids stay safe. The program will include a special discussion of the predator stranger who approaches a child and the reaction of the child to that situation in a way that is not only informative but FUN. We’ll also talk about street safety and special issues affecting our neighborhood. Important information for the whole family!


Please RSVP to greenwoodpizzanight@yahoo.com

Children under 16 must be accompanied by his/her parent/guardian.

SPECIAL ATTENTION KINGSTOWNE COMMUNITIES

ATTENTION NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

Late last night our detectives were in your area doing detective type work....some of them on foot. The detectives noted that MANY garage doors were left open, especially in the townhouse communities.

Please ask your friends and neighbors to close their garage doors, lock their doors and windows and close and lock their car doors. Please leave a front and back porch light on.

Lastly.....please continue to report ALL suspicious behavior (911 or 703-691-2131) as the situation dictates.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jim

MPO Jim Nida
Crime Prevention Office
Franconia District Station
Fairfax County Police Department

Donation Drive Pick Up

The families will be collecting the generous donations this weekend at the Government Center on Friday, May 18 from 6:30pm - 9pm in the Helen Wilson room of the Government Center on Franconia Road by the 7-11.

If you have a truck or a large car, we need help transport the boxes to the Government Center. Please contact the Greenwood NWC if you have the means to help on Friday.

Thank you.

Fun Safety for Kids

Kids can have fun and learn about safety at the same time. Parents, visit http://sparky.org/index.html with your kids for fun games to play on line and download.

May is National Bike Safety Month!

Do you wear a helmet when you ride your bike? If your answer is "Yes," you’re the best. On the other hand, if you said "No," don’t put a foot on that bike pedal until you have a helmet on your head. Bike helmets are cool!Now that you are nicely equipped with a way-cool helmet, follow my ever-popular "Top Ten Bike Safety Rules" and you’ll be on the road to safe biking.

For you older kids, or "tweens" (kids 8-12 years old), make sure you’re wearing your helmets too! No matter how old you are make sure you put that helmet on. I make sure to wear one every time I ride my bike –and everyone knows what an old dog I am.

Sparky's Top Ten Bike Safety Rules:
10. Never ride at dusk or at night.

9. Use the correct hand signals when turning to let drivers know what you’re planning to do.

8. Walk, don’t ride your bike across the street.

7. Cross only at the street corner, not mid-block.

6. When entering a sidewalk, path or driveway, stop completely. Look left, right, and left again.

5. When riding on the street, obey all traffic signals and laws.

4. Ride with the traffic flow, not against it.

3. Always stop at stop signs and stop lights.

2. Make sure to choose a safe area to ride your bike, like parks or bike paths.

1. Sparky’s #1 bike safety rule is…ALWAYS WEAR YOUR BIKE HELMET.Remember, younger kids should ride on sidewalks or safe areas only. Older kids can ride in the street after they learn the rules of the road. Don’t forget to get permission to ride your bike from a grown-up first!

Kitchen Fire Safety

Fires seem to be top of mind lately - we got this very educational clip and wanted to share with our neighbors.

Notice to Greenwood Residents

The Fairfax County Fire Investigations Division of the Office of the Fire Marshall is currently investigating the cause and the Fairfax County (and other counties) response to the catastrophic fire our neighbors suffered on April 23rd. Many Greenwood residents observed the fire before the arrival or immediately coincidental with the arrival of County Emergency Response Units. If you have ANY observations about the response to this emergency, either praising or criticizing noteworthy fire fighting efforts, you are asked to immediately provide a statement to the Fire Marshal.

**Your observations can help our neighbors as they file claims with their insurers or serve to improve future response to such emergencies.**

Mail statements to:
Office of the Fire Marshal
Fire Prevention Division
Fire Investigations Branch
4100 Chain Bridge Road, 4th Floor
Fairfax, VA 22030

Email statements should be directed to: fireweb@fairfaxcounty.gov?Subject=Fire

Fire Marshall Telephone for Information: (ph) 703-246-4741; (fax) 703-293-9476

Questions: Call Mike Waters 410-562-4616

Another Successful Drive

Many thanks to everyone who helped with the drive on Saturday - we helped raise more clothing, money and toys for the families. We know they still have long way to go before life is back to some normalcy. Our best wishes are with them.

We just heard that Mary Kay and Chris found a new place to rent while their place is being rebuilt - Right here in Greenwood on Dakine Circle! We are thrilled they will be coming home to Greenwood.

Below is a note from William and Scott Pfaltzgraff to all the neighbors and friends of Greenwood. Looks like the toys were a hit!