FCPD Welcomes First-Ever Data Director

Fairfax County Chief of Police Kevin Davis has hired Dr. Noah Fritz as the Department’s new Director of Crime Control Strategies & Data Analytics. Dr. Fritz will be a key contributor to Davis’ data-driven strategy, which aims to guide FCPD’s approach to fair and effective policing through the collection, analysis and sharing of statistical information.

Dr. Fritz has had a diverse career, beginning with the Tempe Police Department as the Crime Analysis Manager. While there, he created the first Crime Analysis Unit in Arizona. He served in that role from 1989 to 1997. He rejoined the Department in 2011 and worked in Tempe prior to joining FCPD.

Dr. Fritz has also worked as the Crime Analysis Manager for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the Criminal Justice Strategic Planner for Jefferson County, Colorado and as the Deputy Director for the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center.

In academia, Dr. Fritz served as a professor from 2001 to 2006 at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He has also been an adjunct professor at Arizona State University, the University of Denver, and the University of San Diego. 

Dr. Fritz has been the president, treasurer, and an executive board member for the International Association of Crime Analysts. He maintains his role as chief executive officer with Justice Research Associates, LLC and has been called to serve as a subject matter expert by the United States Department of Justice for his knowledge of crime mapping and analysis, records management, computer-aided dispatch, and policing models. 

Dr. Fritz has earned several distinguished service awards from the International Association of Crime Analysts, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and an Ambassador Award. Last year, he was named the Most Influential Person in the Crime Analysis Profession by the Law Enforcement Analysis Podcast.

“I am honored to have been selected as the new Director of the Crime Control Strategies and Data Analytics Bureau at the Fairfax County Police Department – one of the nation’s most highly-regarded professional public safety agencies in the US. Let’s get busy,” said Dr. Fritz, who began working in Fairfax on Monday.

Dr. Fritz studied at Arizona State University where he earned his PhD and Master’s of Science in Justice Studies and Social Inquiry. He completed his undergraduate degree at Illinois State University, double majoring in Sociology and Criminal Justice. 

Dr. Fritz has two adult children. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, camping, biking, kayaking and golfing. He is currently writing a book about growing up in a predominately African-American neighborhood in Rock Island, IL.