Communication is said to be the key to everything. In Fairfax County, Virginia, it is central to their efficiency and operations. In such a large-scale, high-demand environment, constant communication keeps innovation continuous and dynamic. 

We spoke with Sheldon Harley, Superintendent at Fairfax County Department of Vehicle Services, to discover how this large-scale operation earned a 2025 Police Fleet Innovators award at this year’s Government Fleet Conference and Expo. 

Leadership through Communication

Fairfax County’s communication-first approach has been paramount to successful operations. With its facilities tasked with upfitting over 200 vehicles a year, maintaining open lines of communication with manufacturers, dealerships, and end-users makes all the difference in streamlining processes. 

“For example, after the vehicle purchases are confirmed, I conduct meetings with our major equipment manufacturers to procure the appropriate quantities of parts and supplies and streamline delivery to coincide with critical stages of the build process. Given the size of our facility, “just in time” deliveries are paramount to maintain the upfitting program while allowing space for preventative and repair maintenance functions,” explained Harley. 

As new technology arises, the Fairfax team conducts additional meetings to validate the technology and schedule testing and evaluation (T&E) to allow for field testing and ensure the equipment meets its standards. 

In keeping with his push for transparency and openness, Harley conducts several meetings before vehicles are produced to validate the need, equipment capabilities, and cost benefit of implementations. Fairfax has received enthusiastic feedback from their law enforcement partners.

Harley further explained the process: “A key portion of our implementation is testing and understanding how the equipment works, how long will the equipment last, and most importantly, whether the equipment improve officer safety. This ties back to the T&E vehicles and how important it is to make accurate decisions on a global scale without creating unforeseen long-term issues.”

Lights On for Technology

Fairfax County’s embrace of technology leaves its end users excited about the vehicles it produces. Working diligently to streamline production with little to no impact on product quality, Harley is constantly searching for new avenues to reduce costs without sacrificing safety and innovation.

One such innovation involves making light bars reusable. In 2024, Fairfax County began using MIL-SPEC connectors, eliminating the need for hardwiring and allowing them to be removed without pulling the vehicle’s interior apart. Though there is a cost, Harley says the price is offset when comparing the purchase price of new light bars for future builds. 

“Creating a standardized upfitting process has guaranteed that all vehicles produced during specified time periods are exactly the same, which in turn means that during emergencies, operators will know how to locate and use the equipment on a vehicle,” Harley expanded.

Additionally, their 2025 fleet has integrated sync modules into light bars that decrease production time and increase driver safety through improved visibility. They are currently considering the Whelen Cloud Platform (WCP) for comprehensive fleet management. It would improve traffic control, provide accident avoidance, geofencing firmware or configuration updates, and real-time fleet management. 

When asked what advice he would offer to other large-scale departments looking to optimize their operations, Harley had this to say:

“The first would be to balance improvements versus cost. If we can do a process faster, but it will entail an extra cost, we need to understand the ultimate outcome of execution. It is basic mathematics; if we spend an extra $1,000 per unit and it will improve production by 10% as well as improve safety, the extra expense is worthwhile. If we spend an extra $1,000 and it hampers production and there is no improvement to safety, then we must look at other avenues to implement an improvement without undue fiscal burden.”

Fairfax County is focused on its current plans and continuing to offer the service quality its users are used to. We are excited to see what the future will hold.