Suzanne G. Devlin

Suzanne Grabe Devlin (~1950 - ) was the acting Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department in 2004, following the resignation of J. Thomas Manger.

After serving in the Marines for 3 years, including an assignment as a drill instructor, Devlin joined the County Park Police in 1976 at age 26.[1][2] The Park Police were folded into the Fairfax County Police Department in 1983, and Devlin became a sergeant.[2]

In 1988, after being passed over twice for promotion, Devlin sued the county in a sex bias lawsuit and was awarded a promotion to First Lieutenant in 1989.[3][1]

Captain Devlin became the commander of the Franconia District Station in 1992.[1]

Major Devlin was one of 5 internal FCPD candidates for the position of Chief in 1998, following the resignation of M. Douglas Scott to become the Chief of the Fairfax City Police Department.[4] Ultimately, the job was given to J. Thomas Manger instead. Devlin became a Deputy Chief herself in October, 2000.[2]

Upon J. Thomas Manger's resignation in January, 2004 to become Chief of the Montgomery County Police Department, Devlin became acting Chief.[2] However, the FCPD's pursuit of a hit-and-run investigation against then Chairman Gerald E. Connolly very likely led to her being bypassed for a permanent assignment as Chief in favor of David M. Rohrer in July 2004.

Following the promotion of Rohrer to Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Devlin took his position in the department's operations branch, with her role in the administrative branch being filled by Lieutenant Colonel Steve Sellers[5]

Lieutenant Colonel Devlin retired from the department in 2009 and took a position with BAE Systems as a Law Enforcement Liaison.[6] She is currently a Senior Principal Intelligence Analyst at BAE Systems.

Personal

Devlin's father often drove home drunk when she was a child, although it is unclear whether this was a motivating factor in her decision to pursue a career in law enforcement.[7]

In 1982, Devlin took her Bachelors degree in sociology from George Mason University, and added a Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution from the university in 1985.[8]

Devlin lives together with her husband Paul, whom she met while serving in the Marine Corps, in Fairfax Station.[1] The couple has 2 daughters, Meaghan and Bronwyn.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bune, Karen L. "CITIZEN JOURNALISM: Fairfax Deputy Police Chief Broke Glass Ceiling." The Washington Times. The Washington Times, 9 June 2009. Web. 28 Sept. 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jackman, Tom. "Fairfax Deputy Chief Retiring." The Washington Post: 2. Aug 28 2009. National Newspapers Core. Web. 29 Sep. 2012
  3. ↑ Fountain, John W. "On the Force but Not in the Club: Many Female Police Officers Say Their Careers Are Arrested by Sexism." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): C1 ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995) Oct 19, 1995. Web. Sep 28, 2012
  4. ↑ Shear, Michael D. "No Minorities on List For Fairfax Police Job." The Washington Post: 0. Dec 02 1998. ProQuest. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
  5. ↑ "Metro; In Brief" The Washington Post: 0. Nov 09 2004. ProQuest. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
  6. ↑ McKay, Jeffrey C. "Board Matter: September 14, 2009." Fairfax County Lee District Web Site. Fairfax County, 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
  7. ↑ "Excellence Awards; Local Police Officers Honored for DWI Enforcement." Connection Newspapers. Connection Newspapers, 24 May 2006. Web. 28 Sept. 2012.
  8. ↑ Rensbarger, Fran. "Into the Fray: Devlin Makes the Very Best of Conflicted Situations." The Mason Spirit. George Mason University, Spring 2004. Web. 30 Sept. 2012.
Preceded by
J. Thomas Manger
Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department (Acting)
2004
Succeeded by
David M. Rohrer