Mary Gavin is the former Chief of Police for the City of Falls Church and a 38-year veteran of law enforcement starting with the Arlington County Police Department. Chief Gavin has a strong record developing innovative policing strategies, leading/mentoring officers, and redefining community policing through multi-dimensional engagement strategies.
In 2021, Chief Gavin boldly shifted the justice paradigm when she led the Falls Church Police Department to implement the first pre-charge youth restorative diversion program in the Commonwealth between a law enforcement agency and a community organization (CYFA). As a vanguard for justice and reform, Chief Gavin’s courageous decision modeled a path for other localities, including Arlington County, to envision a similar response to youth-based harm, giving officers a solution-oriented option to promote accountability, further healing, and strengthening community values while remaining culturally responsible to the community ethos of restorative practice.
Chief Gavin has always put people first, particularly children. As a founding member of the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families and former Chairperson for the Northern Virginia Chiefs & Sheriffs Executive Board, Chief Gavin has a legacy of prioritizing public safety through relationship-building and inclusion. She continues her service as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Affairs at American University.
Chief Gavin earned a Bachelor’s degree in Law Enforcement and a Master’s degree in Safety, Security and Emergency Management with emphasis on Homeland Security from Eastern Kentucky University. She also completed Virginia’s Professional Executive Leadership School, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Counsel of Government and George Washington University’s Certified Public Manager course, the FBI’s National Academy 222nd Session, and the IACP’s Leadership Institute on Violence Against Women. Most importantly, Chief Gavin is a daughter, sister, aunt and mother of two beautiful daughters.