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Fairfax County supervisors honored roughly 50 county police officers who responded to the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, recognizing both their defense of the building and the lasting trauma associated with that day.

“We can’t forget the people who were wearing the uniform that day, defending democracy,” Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said during the Jan. 13 presentation.

The Fairfax County Police Department personnel provided support after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt certification of the 2020 presidential election results. No members of the Fairfax contingent suffered serious physical injuries, but McKay said that did not capture the officers’ full experience.

“There’s a lot of trauma associated with this,” he said. “Let us not forget the personal sacrifice.”

Most of the responding officers belonged to the county’s Civil Disturbance Unit. Maj. Brendan Hooke accepted the board’s resolution on the unit’s behalf.

“When the call came, some 50 of our officers answered,” Hooke said. “We will be there again if we’re ever needed.”

The resolution passed unanimously, with Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, the board’s lone Republican, joining its nine Democrats in support.

“I thank you for stepping up,” Herrity told the officers.

More members of the Civil Disturbance Unit had been expected at the ceremony, but several were sent that morning to a protest at Capital One’s headquarters campus in Tysons.

McKay first presented the resolution for discussion in December. He said he had initially hesitated to bring it forward but decided to act around the attack’s fifth anniversary and following what he called the “despicable, wholesale pardoning” of many participants by President Trump in early 2025.

Those pardons caused additional trauma for officers who continued to carry physical and emotional scars from defending the Capitol, McKay said.

Smith remains board vice chair

In other business, supervisors unanimously selected Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith to continue as vice chair in 2026.

The vice chair leads meetings when the chairman is absent and handles other responsibilities.

“They’re not sexy but they need to happen,” McKay said of those duties.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck nominated Smith. Although the two do not always agree politically, Storck said “it is a great honor and pleasure to work with her.”

Sizemore Heizer joins the board

The Jan. 13 meeting was the first for newly elected Braddock District Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer.

She won a December election to complete the term vacated by James Walkinshaw, who was elected to Congress in September following the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly.

“It’s good to have a full Board again,” McKay said.

Sizemore Heizer, who previously represented the district on the Fairfax County School Board, announced an open house scheduled for Feb. 4 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Braddock District office, 9002 Burke Lake Road near Kings Park.

“Drop in any time” during the two-hour event, she said.

Bridge naming would honor McLean civic leader

Supervisors also asked the state to approve naming the Georgetown Pike bridge over Difficult Run for longtime civic leader John J. Adams.

Adams died the previous April at age 90. His family moved to McLean in 1965, and he went on to support numerous community organizations, including serving as a co-founder of McLean Trees and president of the Georgetown Pike & Potomac River Association.

As a founding member of that association, Adams helped preserve the 336-acre Burling tract in 1969. The property later became Scott’s Run Park.

The organization also worked with county supervisors to advocate for a Virginia “Scenic and Historical Byway” designation for historic roads. Georgetown Pike became the first road in the state to receive the recognition in 1974, an achievement Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said was due “in large part to the efforts of Mr. Adams.”

Bierman said Adams continued working with developers, elected officials and the Virginia Department of Transportation to protect Georgetown Pike’s historic character and preserve significant trees along the road.

Adams was an attorney and managing partner at Hunton & Williams. He reduced his legal workload at age 60, allowing him and his wife, Barbara, to travel while remaining active in local civic affairs.

The board unanimously agreed to forward the bridge-naming request. The Commonwealth Transportation Board is expected to make the final decision later in the year.