Fairfax County Police Watch: Idiots at work

A Kane County IL deputy is being investigated after allegedly pulling gun on a man who was in a car accident while off duty & threatening to shoot him in the head. [2] http://bit.ly/jhENHt

Warrensburg IL cop took a plea deal where he will be sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal child porn charges and will face 10 more years in state prison on sexual assault charges involving a girl under the age of 12. [0] http://bit.ly/kXPdGV

2 Philadelphia PA cops sentenced to 10-15yrs in plea deal for robbery, kidnapping, oppression & possession w/intent to distribute. [0] http://bit.ly/kXbZIl

West Deer PA police sued by 53yr-old woman claiming she was injured when cops burst thru her door in search for son even though she offered to let them in after she got her dog under control. [3] http://bit.ly/lk5KV0

Fruitland Park FL settles suit for $75k to 60yr-old claiming cop arrested & injured him for beeping at him because his cruiser was blocking traffic. [0] http://bit.ly/ke4l5B

Winnsboro SC cop investigated for alleged confrontation & harassment of a man who filed a complaint about damages to his car during a traffic stop when the officer busted his window when he wanted to search his car for drugs but failed to find any. [4] http://bit.ly/inqPqo

Scranton PA cop charged w/oppression, assault, terroristic threats & other charges in an off-duty bar fight w/bouncer who refused to let him and his friends in while they were carrying alcohol and were too intoxicated. [0] http://bit.ly/jdbSuC

Hartford CT sued by woman badly injured in crash w/car chased by cop who ignored orders to stop pursuit [0] http://bit.ly/mMmXif

Peel ON regional police officers accused of fabricating evidence by judge who dismissed prostitution case [3] http://bit.ly/kopqpB

East Washington PA settles suit for $9k to man claiming cuffs were too tight when he was arrested w/o cause [0] http://bit.ly/ldGwCi

Pinelawn MO cop suspended while investigated for firing at car in chase despite allegedly knowing a baby was in the car. [0] http://bit.ly/lhdHGR

2 Norfolk VA cops on desk duty while subject of probe related to arrest of cop on pot & steroids dealing charges [0] http://bit.ly/kMMwWe

Belle WV cop jailed for violating bond conditions by continuing to contact wife after DV no-contact order [0] http://bit.ly/j2mVkP

High Springs FL cop fired for altering doctor’s excuse, filed suit alleging retaliation for whistleblowing [0] http://bit.ly/ltRJcA

Waltham MA cop faces disciplinary action for helping council president with his landlord tenant dispute [1] http://bo.st/kkMt2r

Bartlesville OK police & police union sued by female cop claiming sexual harassment & discrimination [2] http://bit.ly/mjCB28

A Canton IL cop was charged with theft on allegations that he shoplifted some over-the-counter male enhancement pills from Walmart. [0] http://bit.ly/lRcXO7

Morrogh finds cop he doesn’t love. In other news, hell freezes.

Probe of fatal police shooting goes to federal authorities

By Justin Jouvenal/Post

The Fairfax County prosecutor has turned over the investigation of a fatal police shooting of an unarmed Springfield man to federal authorities, citing complications with the five-month-old case.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh said the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia has agreed to continue the probe into the death of 46-year-old John Geer, who was shot during a standoff with Fairfax County police in August. No one has been charged in the incident.

“There is a conflict of interest that has arisen in the case,” Morrogh said Thursday. “And there is a second potential conflict of interest that has arisen out of my office. . . . This is the prudent thing to do.”

Morrogh declined to describe the nature of the conflicts because the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday that it could not confirm or deny any investigation or comment on pending investigations.

Police went to Geer’s Pebble Brook Court home on Aug. 29 because of a report of a domestic disturbance. Geer’s father, Don Geer, said his son was upset because his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, had decided to leave him.

John Geer had thrown his girlfriend’s belongings in the front yard. She called police and told them that Geer had a firearm. Police said they tried for about 50 minutes to persuade Geer to leave the home, but he refused.

Don Geer said he watched the climax of the encounter. He said that he could not hear what officers were saying to his son but that he saw him standing with empty hands resting on top of a screen door at the home’s entrance.

At some point, John Geer began to slowly lower his hands and an officer opened fire, hitting Geer in the chest, his father said. Geer retreated inside and closed the door. A SWAT team eventually entered the home and found Geer dead.

Don Geer said detectives later told him that his son did not have a gun on him at the time of the shooting but that there was a holstered handgun a couple of steps from the front door.

Don Geer said it appeared to him that the shooting was unjustified, but he was unsure what to make of the probe being turned over to federal authorities.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad — if I had a better idea of why they are doing it, I could form an opinion,” he said.

Geer and friends of his son have been critical of how long the investigation has taken, but Morrogh said police and prosecutors were working to explore all the evidence. He did not think federal prosecutors would have to start from scratch.

“No one wants these things to linger on,” Morrogh said.

Our ink will outlast his career

Under the reign of former Chief of Police Rhorer the Fairfax County Police arrested a man for not wearing clothes in his house while he made coffee, set up an eye doctor on a gambling charge and then used the SWAT team to kill him. An investigation into the charge that the Doctor’s primary clients were cops has never been investigated. The police gunned down an emotionally unstable man because cop who shot him wrongly assumed the man was trying to escape. He wasn’t. The cops also shot dead four other citizens under highly questionable circumstances. The department under Rhorer was sued multiple times by citizens. So did they fire Rhorer? Naw they promoted him. According to news reports Rhorer draws a salary of $191,168 per year as Deputy Fairfax County Executive as well as a concurrent pension from the Fairfax County police of $173000 per year.

Occupation by force

According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, nearly one in five Fairfax residents (17.5 percent) is of Asian descent while Hispanics make up nearly 16 percent of Fairfax’s overall population. Those numbers drop considerably when applied to the Fairfax County Police Department, where only 4.3 percent of officers are Asian and 4.1 percent Hispanic. White officers make up 84 percent of Fairfax County’s 1,360-member police department, significantly higher than the county’s general population (54 percent white). Almost 90% of the force lives outside the county.