The changing landscape of Tysons Corner - which includes a surge of urbanization - is forcing a change in the style of policing.
Fairfax County Police explained their new tactics exclusively with News4's Northern Virginia Bureau. They refer to their new unit as the Tysons Urban Team, or T.U.T.
Second Lt. Chuck Riddle has been tasked as the team's supervisor. He's been with Fairfax County police for 18 years. Born and raised in Vienna, Riddle has watched Tysons evolve.
"This looks so big-city compared to what Tysons Corner has always been, living and working here for most my life," Riddle said.
T.U.T. consists of nine officers, working in pairs. The partner system is new for Fairfax County. Riddle admits, it could take some getting used to.
"It's almost like developing another family or relationship," he said.
The two-officer units will make it safer and more effective for police to go up into high rises. And unlike other, more rural, parts of the county, T.U.T. officers won't be logging as many miles in their patrol cars.
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"[We'll be] on foot, on bikes and in vehicles when necessary," Riddle said. "We are [also] going to purchase a few Segways and try them out. It's a patrol platform we've never tried in Fairfax County."
And with four new metro stops planned for the Tysons jurisdiction, Riddle said the public should be ready to see his officers using the Silver Line as a way to respond quicker calls, especially in the midst of rush hour.
"It's going to be quicker to get on the train and hop off at the spring hill station that's going to put us at the doorstep of [a] building rather than sitting through gridlocked traffic," he added.
