Fairfax County Police Watch: Idiots at work

Murder

Nashville TN cop was found guilty of 2nd degree murder in the shooting death of his wife that he claimed was accidental [0] bit.ly/n8DcyS

Manslaughter

Las Vegas NV loses lawsuit for $2.2 million to the family of a man killed in a crash with a cop who was speeding w/o lights or siren [0] http://bit.ly/nZCbPY

Austin TX settles a lawsuit for $750k to the family of an 18yr-old who was shot to death after being startled while sleeping in a car by an off-dute cop who was working security. [0] bit.ly/pD5QHJ

A Washington DC cop is under investigation on allegations she failed to take action after witnessing a murder committed by a man she was involved with. [0] bit.ly/nG3l8t

Child molestation/ child porn

Jacksonville FL cop arrested on capital sexual battery & molestation charges involving 2 girls, one of which was under 12yrs-old [0] bit.ly/qF2toU

White Co GA deputy was arrested on production of child pornography charges on allegations that he filmed at least one 7-year-old girl. [0] bit.ly/nX5SEY

Pinellas Co FL now-retired deputy arrested for allegedly molesting 5-10 yr-old girl 35yrs ago while deputy. While this one seems odd, the arrest was made after the alleged victim’s account of what happened 30-35 years ago was corroborated by others. [0] bit.ly/oDwEj0

Ohio County WV now-former deputy was convicted on 2 counts of sexual assault on a 14yr-old girl back in 2003. He later left that agency and began work in a Chicago suburb then as a Washington DC cop when he was arrested. [0] bit.ly/pJD7BS

Brown County TX sheriff’s dept, a Texas Ranger & a state trooper are being sued alleging they let a cop continue molesting a teen just so they could catch him in the act in order to get an airtight case against him. [3] bit.ly/ouyvq2

Findlay OH police sgt sentenced to 60 days for impersonating his stepdaughters online, transmitting nude pics of them to others, and using police databases to look up info on their friends. [0] http://bit.ly/mYQ8dC

Breathing while being an idiot

Trenton NJ cop investigated for refusing to render aid to stop fight because he was working off-duty security job [0] bit.ly/peV3oa

Reading OH cop under investigation & may be reprimanded after boy snaps photo of him driving while texting on duty [0] bit.ly/oo58RM

Cops and animals, a strange, strange relationship

Lebanon OH police policies are being criticized as possibly being in violation of state laws after a police officer fatally shot a family’s pet cat in the head after a neighbor called to complain when it snuck out [0] bit.ly/oSnPh5

Theft

Brigantine NJ now-former cop charged with stealing funds from police union while he was treasurer [1] bit.ly/ohNMP0

Redmond OR police lieutenant sentenced to 90days & loss of his police certification for selling firearms he stole from his dept [0] bit.ly/q1SCpJ

Orland Hills IL sued by ex-cop claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting an alleged ticket fixing incident to the FBI [3] bit.ly/n85ViT

Coercion

Lincoln Parish LA deputy arrested for allegedly misusing his status as an officer to coerce someone into selling him a car at reduced price [1] bit.ly/r0zdaq

San Mateo Co CA sheriff sued by a mentally disabled man who spent 40 days in jail after he was coerced into making false confession over a phoned-in bomb threat that phone records proved he never made. [3] bit.ly/mOFdrN

Cook County IL jury acquitted a woman on wiretapping charges that were filed against her for recording her interview with two internal affairs officers who were trying to deter her from filing a complaint against an officer she accused of groping her while responding to her domestic disturbance call. Oddly, the status of that complaint is sealed so there’s no way to know if the officer was even investigated and it doesn’t sound like the two IA cops were investigated for trying to deter a complainant. [0] http://bit.ly/qIgtLx

Sexual assault

Phoenix AZ cop who is the mayor’s son was suspended for 4 days for inappropriately touching female city worker and having sex with another while on duty [0] bit.ly/reZpYt

The New York NY cop who was recently arrested for raping a schoolteacher at gunpoint may now be a possible suspect in 2 other unsolved sexual assaults. [0] nyp.st/r1KeTh

Country Club Hills MO cop was charged w/corruption by a public servant on allegations he coerced a DUI suspect into sex as a way to get out of the charges. [0] bit.ly/ons1YL

Threatening

A Canton OH cop who made national news earlier this year for a videotaped traffic stop where he threatened to kill a passenger, then again in another video involving similar threats, is now the subject of a third video showing him making death threats during a questionable traffic stop. Apparently he’s had over a dozen complaints but the police chief insists he didn’t know the guy was a problem until now. [0] bit.ly/opJtWY

RCMP officer in Enfield NS was arrested after violating probation by allegedly uttering death threats to his wife [0] bit.ly/mSFToN

Cordova IL cop arrested for intimidation when he supposedly told a businessman that he would make sure his 911 calls were ignored if he didn’t fire two employees he had a problem with. [0] bit.ly/qllM9M

Drunk /Drugs

Jacksonville FL cop is suspected of driving drunk after he was involved in an accident on the way home from work in his police cruiser. Troopers say they smelled alcohol on his breath and found beer spilled on the floorboard of his cruiser. [0] bit.ly/p2cp4h

Washington DC cop was arrested on DUI & assault with a deadly weapon charges after he allegedly crashed into a car containing a group of transgendered women who previously rebuffed his offers of money in exchange for sex then opened fire on them, injuring two. [0] http://is.gd/AA4amc

Rapides Parish LA sheriff’s narcotics supervisor was charged w/malfeasance relating to unspecified activities he had with 3 female suspects [2] bit.ly/oiBWiu

Rutherford County TN deputy resigned while under investigated for allegedly pointing a gun at a man in a taxi while he was drunk [0] bit.ly/qE1Vao

Broward County FL deputy arrested on possession charges after allegedly caught buying steroids in an IHOP parking lot [0] bit.ly/phtjrr

Earlville IL cop resigns after an arrest last year for allegedly selling marijuana on duty & official misconduct, and arrest we certainly didn’t see reported until now. [0] bit.ly/nnnbg7

Philadelphia PA cop pleads guilty to conspiracy & possession of steroids w/intent to distribute as part of a steroid ring which also involves 2 other officers still facing trial. [0] bit.ly/p2jMim

Corruption

Columbus NM police chief pleads guilty to corruption, conspiracy & gun smuggling charges in a scandal that also involves that town’s mayor and 13 others [0] bit.ly/qpW56z

Bank robbery

Carbondale IL cop sentenced to 30yrs prison for robbing a bank using his service weapon along with an accomplice [0] bit.ly/olKSiQ

Assault

Monroe Co NY deputy arrested on allegations he sexually abused a woman then choked her teenage son in seperate incident. [0] bit.ly/oXAA3E

Ocala FL cop fired for pattern of complaints & discipline now including a DV incident that is currently under investigation [0] bit.ly/r9I9oW

Dallas TX cop arrested on family violence assault & interfering with an emergency call charges involving a domestic dispute with his wife [0] dallasne.ws/qHFw4Q

Baltimore Co MD police sgt who is the head of that police union got a plea deal for an assault charge that returned his police powers and will eventually clear his record of the conviction if he doesn’t violate probation. [0] bsun.md/qBQdl6

Portland OR police capt with a history of disciplinary issues is now under investigation for an alleged off-duty road rage incident in Idaho where he displayed a gun. [1] bit.ly/nVOdU0

Fraud

Monroe LA cop indicted for mail fraud & false statements, he allegedly sold about $193k in stolen goods on eBay that were shoplifted by an accomplice then lied to federal investigators about it. [0] bit.ly/n1IOG5

Illegal Immigration

An Anchorage AK cop was sentenced to 3mo prison & $10k fine for fraudulently staying in US using a stolen passport [0] onforb.es/ouiRR6

Excessive force

A Woodford County IL deputy and at least 1 of 4 Washburn IL cops have been suspended while under investigation for two alleged excessive force incidents in 1 day including an incident that left one man hospitalized in critical condition. [2] http://on.msnbc.com/preNXL

Columbia Heights MN cop is accused of bodyslamming a man into the pavement which left him with a brain injury but the officer claims that he just fell because he was drunk. However, the family claims that tests at the hospital found no traces of alcohol or drugs and the man’s injuries, including facial and neck fractures in addition to lower back injuries, seem too excessive to be attributed to a simple fall. [4] http://bit.ly/p4yen9

A Stanislaus County CA deputy is the subject of a suit by a homeless woman claiming excessive force was used and policies ignored when the deputy’s police dog attacked her and left her with serious arm injuries after a chase sparked when police threatened to have her truck, that she lived in, towed. The K9 handler and his partner have apparently been involved in a number of questionable police dog attacks. [3] bit.ly/puHT5C

Pittsburgh PA cop was found liable for unjustifiably dragging a man from a car & tasering him. However, the same jury that found him at fault only awarded him $269 to cover his initial medical bill. [0] bit.ly/q9WmrE

Baltimore MD settles suit for $30k to a woman who was injured while she was being arrested when she tried to stop her grandson who was yelling at police while they were arresting a suspected drug dealer. [3] http://bit.ly/qAZeCM

Civil rights violation

An investigative AP report reveals info on New York NY police department’s secret spy agency that may be violating civil rights in their anti-terrorism espionage efforts which were apparently assisted by the CIA. [5] nydn.us/qqQsE7

Perjury

Tulsa OK cop was found guilty on 7 perjury & 2 deprivation of rights charges in a police corruption trial but the same jury found a second officer involved in that case not guilty. [0] bit.ly/n1Uj63

Embezzlement

Hollister CA police sergeant charged w/felony for allegedly embezzling $102k from the police union he lead until retiring [0] bit.ly/nYamEo

Hit and run

Washington Twp NJ cop was alleged to be behind the wheel of a car in a hit & run accident that left a pedestrian critically injured [2] bit.ly/pMuO7x

Cop impersonating a cop

Delaware River & Bay Authority police officer is accused of impersonating a state trooper & stealing another driver’s ID in an apparent road rage case [0] bit.ly/oeDZtS

Burglary

Henry Co GA cop was among 7 arrested on burglary charges for stealing over $700 worth of items from a home they mistakenly thought was foreclosed [0] bit.ly/qaqqVR

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.