The Fairfax County Police Department is no longer conducting free child safety seat inspections. The free service had been carried out monthly at police stations across the county, including the Mason Police Station.
According to the FCPD, “This program was discontinued due to recent budget cuts and is no longer available through our department.”
The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office conducts free child safety seat events once a month at the Fairfax County Courthouse Complex, 10550 Page Ave., Fairfax, on the fourth floor of the public parking garage.
The FY 2026 budget approved for Fairfax County includes a long list of budget cuts, including nearly $45,500 in overtime pay for the car seat inspection program operated by FCPD.
“Since this is not a core function of the Police Department, it is not expected to impact the department’s ability to prevent and fight crime,” the advertised budget document states. “Community members will have to find alternative organizations who provide this service, such as the Office of the Sheriff.”
Trained and certified sheriff’s deputies check over 1,000 child safety seats every year and find that 80-90 percent have not been installed correctly. Either the safety seat was not properly secured in the vehicle or the child was not properly harnessed in the seat.
Virginia law requires that all children up to age 8 must be in a child restraint device or booster seat.
All rear-facing infant seats must be placed in the back seat of a vehicle. If a vehicle does not have a back seat, a rear-facing infant seat may be placed in the front passenger seat, but only if the vehicle is either not equipped with a passenger-side airbag or the airbag has been deactivated.
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