A veteran Fairfax County police officer assigned to protect local schools is now facing criminal charges of his own, accused of swapping barcodes at self-checkout registers to pay less than he owed at two different Target stores on the same day. Master Police Officer Scott Abram, 44, of Spotsylvania, was criminally charged on Thursday with two counts of misdemeanor shoplifting, one stemming from an incident while he was reportedly in uniform and on the clock.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, loss prevention staff at the Target on New Guinea Road in Burke reported that a customer later identified as Abram concealed the barcode of one item using a less expensive item's barcode during a self-checkout transaction on September 22. Police say he then left the store with both items after paying for only one. The department confirmed Abram was in uniform and on duty at the time of that incident.
A Second Alleged Incident Hours Later
The same day, loss prevention staff reported a similar incident involving Abram at the Target located at 6600 Springfield Mall in Springfield, per the department's account. This time, he was off duty. Detectives criminally charged him on October 8 with two counts of misdemeanor shoplifting tied to the two store visits, and he was released on two criminal summonses, according to the same report.
Abram has served with Fairfax County police for 23 years and was assigned to the School Resource Officer Unit, the department said. He was placed on administrative leave while both criminal and administrative investigations continued, a step FCPD confirmed in its release.
Police Chief Calls Conduct a Betrayal of Trust
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis did not mince words in response to the allegations against one of his own officers. “I am disheartened that a police officer has betrayed the public trust with these intentional acts of criminal misconduct,” Davis said, according to the department's statement. “It is unacceptable, and I will not tolerate it.”
A separate report from FFXnow indicates Abram is scheduled to retire on October 16 rather than face termination. That detail has not been independently verified beyond the FFXnow account, and no court hearing date, plea, or disposition in the criminal case has been confirmed.
It also remains unclear whether the internal administrative investigation will result in any further discipline, since the case was still active as of the charges being filed. WJLA was among the outlets to first report on the allegations against the longtime officer.
