Fairfax County Police Watch: 05/07/11

Isle of Wight Co VA sheriff subject of sealed indictment, possibly involving felon he hired as sworn officer [1] http://bit.ly/kPsvk4

Bryan TX cop under investigation after firing several shots in foot chase, critically injuring suspect & bystander [1] http://bit.ly/jAGnxF

2 Redwood City CA cops subject of suit alleging they tasered teen w/o cause & joked about it, then refused to ID [3] http://bit.ly/jJS2Ji

Valdosta GA police officer arrested on aggravated child molestation charge on allegations spanning several years [0] http://bit.ly/kSbL5G

San Bernardino Co CA deputy in charge of explorers program arrested on allegations he had sex w/underage explorer [0] http://bit.ly/kxHGuR

US Border Patrol agent arrested for kidnapping & sexual battery, allegedly molested immigrant after interrogation [0] http://bit.ly/majm6Q

New York NY (Brooklyn) deputy police chief docked 30 days pay for role in steroid scandal involving 24 officers [0] http://nyp.st/m5WfaO

Denver CO sheriff’s capt suspended 70days for lying about failure to supervise staff, monitor recommended demotion [0] http://bit.ly/j3eLEQ

Brick NJ police officer arrested on allegations that he stole money from police union before resigning from dept [0] http://bit.ly/ivdDUy

3 Delaware State troopers under investigation on allegations of overtime fraud involving psych patient transports [1] http://bit.ly/kMnaV1

Pickens SC police chief suspended 15 days w/o pay over alleged racial & derogatory remarks, chief apologizes [0] http://bit.ly/kfN8KK

Montreal QC cop & a Sûreté du Québec police officer suspended as part of unspecified corruption investigation [2] http://bit.ly/lCEVoc

North Carolina state trooper and a lieutenant fired after investigation into unspecified misconduct [3] http://bit.ly/m5oY5i

Canton MO police chief indicted for making false statement on form to illegally buy firearm for another person [0] http://bit.ly/mkieM3

Bandara Co TX sheriff forced to resign & must pay $2,500 in plea for abuse of auth for using county boat for fun [0] http://bit.ly/kgZoY7

New Orleans LA cop who was key witness in Glover trial arrested on DUI & fleeing the scene of an accident charges [0] http://bit.ly/jCSASS

Basalt CO cop resigns after investigation into excessive force claim reported by deputy who witnessed it [0] http://bit.ly/jUok6t

Orlando FL police sued by 85yr-old man who’s neck was broken when cop slammed him to the ground [3] http://bit.ly/lZot1M

2 Cape Coral FL cops accused of excessive force, allegedly threw man out of car at traffic stop, never charged him [3] http://bit.ly/mRaugt

Boynton Beach FL cop fired & rehired for tasing cuffed man is arrested for tasering fellow cop to get back at her [0] http://bit.ly/j2ROWd

Denver CO cop facing firing for excessive force & lying gets deal for 40 day suspension w/o pay instead [2] http://bit.ly/ipeUaZ

Tucson AZ police shown shoving news photographer out of meeting where extensive police presence was questioned [3] http://bit.ly/j8f2Bw

Indian River Co FL deputy fired & arrested on battery charges for groping female inmate at jail [0] http://bit.ly/lrWe3f

Cincinnati OH cop sentenced to 7mo for using police database to look up info on woman, then pulled her over 12x [0] http://bit.ly/kDcJwN

Albuquerque NM cop disciplined w/desk duty for listing job on Facebook as “Human Waste Disposal” after shooting [0] http://bit.ly/iPvvkL

Peoria IL cop subject of no stalking order on allegations including that he taped female officers using restroom [3] http://bit.ly/l9dWpa

Onondaga County NY sheriff’s dept settles suit for $30k to jail deputy claiming supervisor sexually harassed her [0] http://bit.ly/kswCBq

Chesapeake VA cop gets suspended sentence, must register as sex offender for texting nude pics of self to teens [0] http://bit.ly/kua2TR

Wilmette IL cop charged w/theft & official misconduct for scamming man out of bond money he didn’t have to pay [0] http://cbsloc.al/lY2PWj

Hollister CA police sgt investigated for allegedly embezzling thousands as head of police union until he retired [0] http://bit.ly/mlLB9i

Gulfport MS cop arrested on felony child abuse charge over allegations involving girlfriend’s 2yr-old child [1] http://bit.ly/l4VXSQ

2 Hanging Rock OH cops indicted on allegations they demanded & pocketed cash from motorists caught in speed trap [0] http://bit.ly/lxvTSW

Windermere FL police dept down to 10 of 24 officers, background checks ordered due to scandal show past problems & extensive criminal histories for some [0] http://bit.ly/iYBeLZ

Fife WA police detective investigated for allegedly crashing patrol car while drunk then leaving scene, not tested [1] http://bit.ly/jO1aoE

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.