BIO-SCOTT

M. Douglas Scott

Police Chief

With more than 36 years of law enforcement experience, Chief Douglas Scott has served as Arlington’s Chief of Police since 2003. Chief Scott began his law enforcement career as a police cadet with the Fairfax County Police Department in 1975 and became the department’s Chief of Police in 1995. In 1998, he retired from Fairfax County and was named Chief of Police in the City of Fairfax Police Department. He left local law enforcement briefly in 2000 when he accepted an Assistant Inspector General position for the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Chief Scott holds an associate’s degree in police science, a bachelor’s degree in applied behavioral science and a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University. He is also a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy and National Executive Institute as well as the Executive Leaders Program at the Center for Homeland Defense & Security. From 2009–2010, Chief Scott served as the president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP).  Currently, Chief Scott serves as an Executive Board Member for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), after having served for many years on its Highway Safety, Environmental Crimes, Terrorism and Resolutions Committees.