Crime at Franconia-Springfield is Highest Among Virginia Metro Stations
One crime reported at Van Dorn Street.
The Franconia-Springfield Metro station has more crimes than any other Metro rail station in Virginia, according to a new report from WMATA detailing reported crime in 2011.
Thirty-two crimes were committed at the station in 2011, resulting in one arrest, according to the report. The one arrest was for obstruction of justice. The types of crime that occured in 2011 at the Franconia-Springfield station are not disclosed. Throughout the Metro system, however, larcenies and burglaries are the most prominent (see chart below).
In comparison, only one crime was reported at the Van Dorn St. station.
Here are the five safest stations in the system based on 2011 data:
- Arlington Cemetery (Arlington)
- Clarendon (Arlington)
- Eisenhower Avenue (Alexandria)
- Farragut West (Washington, D.C.)
- Virginia Square (Arlington)
Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said nothing in particular was responsible for the general safety level of the stations.
"Crime at individual Metro stations is often a reflection of the crime rate in the surrounding community," Stessel said.
The 10 stations with the most reported crimes last year are all in Washington and Maryland.
Stessel said "it takes a lot less" to rank among the most dangerous Metro stations these days because overall crime is down 16 percent systemwide.
Metro Crimes Reported 2007 - 2011:
| Reported Crime | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Aggravated assault | 106 | 92 | 94 | 136 | 108 |
| Burglary | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| *Homicide | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Larceny | 739 | 864 | 811 | 925 | 791 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 166 | 181 | 152 | 129 | 83 |
| Attempted motor vehicle theft | 117 | 101 | 79 | 65 | 43 |
| Rape / sexual offenses | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Robbery | 445 | 581 | 894 | 1,007 | 871 |
| TOTAL | 1,580 | 1,821 | 2,032 | 2,270 | 1,898 |
*Homicides reported and investigated by other police agencies.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Stations:
| Station Name | Crimes Reported (2011) | Location |
| Deanwood | 67 | DC |
| Anacostia | 64 | DC |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 63 | DC |
| Suitland | 60 | MD |
| College Park | 55 | MD |
| Largo Town Center | 53 |
MD |
| Southern Avenue | 52 | MD |
| Minnesota Avenue | 51 | DC |
| Gallery Place | 46 | DC |
| Greenbelt | 46 | MD |
Jeannette Kearny
10:38 am on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
If Franconia-Springfield has more crimes than any other Metro rail station in VA, why isn't it on the Top 10 Most Dangerous list?
Will Sommer
4:05 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Hi Jeannette,
Like Royce noted below, even though Franconia-Springfield has more crime than any other station in VA, it still doesn't crack the top 10 system-wide.
Royce Fleitz
11:03 am on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
It is not close to the non Virginia metro stations. Meaning they are ONLY talking about Virginia. We would not even rank if they had ALL stations on there. Hope this helps.
Brian Feldman
8:55 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
High amount of crime at Springfield Metro station, yet there are never any Metro Police present at the station. Always cars double and triple parked, cars parked with empty meters in side lot, cars running stop sign at crosswalk with pedestrians present. Kids jumping the gates. So many problems and no enforcement !!!