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Fairfax County families must now look elsewhere for help installing and inspecting child car seats after the police department eliminated its free safety program amid budget cuts.

The Fairfax County Police Department ended the program July 1, the first day of fiscal year 2026. The department had offered inspections monthly, with specially trained officers checking seats for common installation and usage errors.

Eliminating the service saves $45,495 in overtime expenses. County officials said the program was not a core police function and that its cancellation was not expected to affect the department’s ability to prevent and fight crime.

The service was among numerous programs targeted after County Executive Bryan Hill proposed nearly $60 million in cuts to help close a projected $292.7 million shortfall.

The change comes as national data indicate roughly 70% of child car seats are installed or used improperly. Fairfax County had recorded 4,395 crashes in the year through Wednesday, according to state data.

County budget documents advised residents to seek assistance from other organizations. The Virginia Department of Health maintains a map of safety-seat inspection sites, but the only Fairfax County location listed is the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office holds free monthly inspection events at the county’s Judicial Center complex. Certified deputies inspect more than 1,000 seats annually and report that as many as 90% are installed incorrectly.

Virginia law requires drivers to secure children through age 7 in an appropriate child restraint device, such as a booster seat.

The Board of Supervisors approved the final fiscal 2026 budget by a 9-1 vote in May, restoring money for some services Hill had proposed cutting. That included $840,000 to retain high school crossing guards for another year.

Police still lost 47 vacant uniformed positions, about $2.5 million in overtime funding and both the child safety seat program and the Differently Abled Driving program.

Public safety agencies represented nearly half of Hill’s proposed reductions. Supervisors prevented cuts that would have affected ambulance services, but the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department still reduced its budget by nearly $9.8 million, while the Sheriff’s Office absorbed a $2.58 million decrease.