Celebration planned as Prince William police turns 40

Woodbridge, Va. - One of the first major cases the Prince William County Police Department investigated after being formed in 1970 involved dead fish and an empty aquarium.

"They had stolen the aquarium, dumped the water out but left some fish in it," chuckled Prince William police Chief Charlie T. Deane.

The stolen aquarium was just one of many items that an organized group of thieves took from several county homes, from Catharpin to Dale City. Four people were arrested after investigators said the thieves simply backed up dump trucks to the fronts of homes and cleaned them out.

Recruited from the Virginia State Police to work as an investigator for his first 12 years with the department, Deane remembers the case vividly and says it was the first time the fledgling department received media attention.

Deane was appointed chief in 1988, and now he's inviting residents to come celebrate the department's 40th anniversary at a party on Saturday at the Sean T. Connaughton Plaza behind the McCoart building, off Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge.

Since the beginning, the county's men and women in blue have strived to become not just law enforcers, but members of the community.

"When the department started, no one had heard the term 'community policing,' but we felt strongly from the beginning. From Chief Owens [the county's first police chief] until today, we felt it's important to earn and maintain the trust of the community we serve, and to understand and work in partnership," said Deane.

Saturday's event starts at 11 a.m., will be free to the public and will include such family fare as a moon bounce, face painting, a dunk tank and McGruff the Crime Dog.

But it will also be an opportunity for those who are interested in police work to find out how their police department functions and what tools they use.

The agency's SWAT team will be there, so will its scuba unit, search and rescue team, forensics unit and the mounted patrol, just to name a few. Officers will also display their equipment, both new and old. And they'll be a display about major events in Prince William County's history, according police spokeswoman Sharon Richardson.

The more than 10 specialized units to be on display Saturday have helped the department grow into what it is today, said Deane.

One of those is the crash investigations unit.

"Serious crash investigations today are those that involve the likelihood of death, or serious injuries that has the potential of being fatal, are investigated by our specialized crash unit," said Deane. "You need expertise to do the level of investigation that is required from a civil standpoint and criminal standpoint, to asses blame and responsibility."

It hasn't always been easy, as the department in recent years has had its fair share of criticism.

After the body of 13-year-old Alexis "Lexie" Glover was found in a creek in Woodbridge near the county's government center -- where the chief's office is located, the department admitted it and other county agencies had been to Lexie's Manassas-area home several times during the previous six years, for reports of abuse.

A neighbor told the News & Messenger that he called police less than a month before she died, saying she showed up on his door step wearing nothing but a vinyl barbeque grill cover. That day, he and his wife to the hospital that police took Lexie to. Shortly after, she was returned to her adoptive mother, Alfreedia Gregg-Glover, who was ultimately found guilty in her death.

The man who found her said police could have done more to save her life.

Following the case, Deane created the department's Child Protection Review Team, tasked with improving the agency's response to child abuse and neglect cases. He also employed the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make sure whatever improvements were made met national standards, according to police documents released a year ago.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-530-3095.