Child Safety Seat Inspections


Updated December 07, 2007

The Vienna Police Department will perform car seat inspections at the Police Headquarters. This service is available for town residents only, and on an appointment-only basis. Please contact either MPO Bill Murray or Car Seat Technician Ruth Rohr at 703-255-6366 to set up an appointment.

Citizens should install the seat in the vehicle prior to arriving at the station. A correctly installed seat is snug and moves no more than 1 inch from side to side at the seatbelt path. Two people are normally required to get the seat installed as tightly as is desired. One person provides a knee or two hands in the seat for weight and compression, and the other snugs up the seatbelt or latch straps. When the person pushing their weight down in the seat releases, the vehicle's seat foam expands and creates a very snug fit. Additionally, please make sure that if the seat is rear- facing, the "foot" underneath the seat base which adjusts the angle is all the way out/ extended prior to installation. This helps level out the seat at the proper angle before you tighten the straps or seatbelt.