Animal Protection Police Animal Control officers are specially trained law enforcement officers who investigate dog bites and attacks and complaints of animal cruelty. They respond to emergencies involving sick or injured domestic and wild animals. They're also tasked with enforcing county codes and state laws pertaining to animals. They remove strays from the community, often impounding them at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter where many can be reunited with their owners or adopted by new owners. Explorer Program Young people between the ages of 14 and 21, male and female, with an interest in possible law enforcement careers fill the ranks of the Fairfax County Law Enforcement Explorer Post 1742, 2252, and 505. Active since 1975, post 1742 supports the mission of the Fairfax County Police Department by providing volunteer support at police and community events. Post 2252 was created in 2014 to serve the youth of the South County/Mt. Vernon Areas. Post 505 is the newest being created in the fall of 2015 to serve central Fairfax. In addition to service, the Explorers learn and compete in events testing some of the basic skills involved in a wide range of police assignments. Fallen officers Since the establishment of the Fairfax County Police Department, five officers have died while on duty. 30-year-old Karen J. Bassford became the first Fairfax County police officer to be killed in the line of duty when she lost control of her police cruiser and crashed on Gallows Road near Vienna while responding to a report of a burglary in progress early on the morning of July 27, 1977. Officer Bassford was ejected from the vehicle in the crash and suffered massive head injuries. She was taken to Fairfax Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. While on a training run near Front Royal, Virginia, 51-year-old Captain Tommy F. Bernal was fatally injured on June 28, 2001, when his motorcycle was struck by a Ford Explorer that had swerved to avoid hitting another rider in the group. Frederick von Meister died while he was running around a football field while he was off duty. On May 8, 2006, 40-year-old Detective Vicky O. Armel and 53-year-old Master Police Officer Michael E. Garbarino was mortally wounded in an attack on the Sully District Police Station by 18-year-old Michael W. Kennedy, a mentally ill man who opened fire on the station during a shift change before he himself