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PFC Jackson Russell was named the Sully District Police Station’s 2024 Officer of the Year after recording 148 arrests and playing a central role in several drug and firearms investigations.

Russell, who has served with the Fairfax County Police Department for more than two years, received the honor during the station’s Community Advisory Committee meeting on March 12. He has spent his entire department career at the Sully District Station and is assigned to the Midnights A-Squad.

Station commander Maj. Jane Russell, who is not related to Jackson Russell, nominated him for the award. She described him as one of the station’s and county’s top performers during 2024.

In addition to his arrests, Russell completed 190 incident reports and issued 54 traffic citations during the year. His district knowledge also allows him to help other officers identify possible suspects from lookout notices and recent crime bulletins, the commander said.

Several investigations highlighted his nomination.

While temporarily assigned to the Fairfax County Summer Crime Team, Russell and other officers saw activity around a vehicle that they believed involved drug dealing. When police initiated a traffic stop, two occupants ran from the vehicle.

Russell pursued them and found them hiding near a building. Police arrested the two and reported recovering a stolen, loaded firearm, seven oxycodone pills and 139 M30 fentanyl pills.

In another case, Russell was working temporarily with the Sully Neighborhood Patrol Team when he stopped a driver for a traffic violation in an area known for narcotics activity. Officers reported seeing suspicious movements inside the vehicle and removed the occupant over safety concerns.

Russell then saw suspected narcotics in plain view. According to the nomination, the driver acknowledged possessing crack cocaine, and a subsequent search uncovered additional drugs, including oxycodone and morphine sulfate pills. Investigators seized the person’s phone and sought a search warrant as they examined possible drug distribution.

Russell also responded to a community member’s report of two suspicious vehicles. Rather than simply directing the drivers to leave, he questioned them and noticed indications of drug use, the commander wrote.

Further investigation determined that the occupants were selling cocaine, according to the nomination. Russell also found a semiautomatic rifle fitted with a suppressor in the back of one vehicle. The firearm’s owner was charged with possessing a gun while possessing Schedule I or II narcotics.

Maj. Russell said the cases reflected the officer’s initiative, work ethic and commitment to crime prevention, qualities that led the Sully District to select him as its Officer of the Year.