The police entered county politics


The police entered county politics in 2009.  Facing unprecedented cuts in public safety jobs and programs due to a $650 million budget shortfall, the Fairfax County police union hired a consultant and commissioned a poll of likely voters. Their hope was to use the results to convince county supervisors that residents would rather spend tax dollars on fighting gangs and keeping unsafe vehicles off the road than on parks and libraries.  The survey costs the union $30,000.