And yet the Fairfax County Police don't need oversight

Washington DC Metro Transit police officers were caught on video picking up a man from a wheelchair then throwing him face first down onto the sidewalk where he laid bleeding while people around him apparently called for an ambulance. There aren’t any other details on this one yet but, in the snippet of video that is available above, there does not appear to be any justification for this one. [3] http://bit.ly/jYVdMB (UPDATE: DC Metro Transit police claim the use of force was justified and charged the man for drinking in public and assaulting an officer, they also allegedly arrested another person at the scene for trying to assist the man after he was injured.


3 La Marque TX police officers are the subject of a lawsuit alleging that they beat and tasered a man who sought help because he thought he was having a heart attack and that man then died as a result. This one strains at the credibility margin but apparently a bystander who tried the help the alleged victim and called 911 says that the man wasn’t resisting or being aggressive when police assaulted him. The police reports from the time of the incident indicate that they believed the man was drunk when they responded to the medical assist call and found him rolling around in a ditch and that he allegedly grabbed for one of their guns. [3] http://bit.ly/m82M3f

Tulare County CA settled a lawsuit for $1,500,000 to the family of an unarmed man who was fatally shot in the back by a sheriff’s detective. [3] http://bit.ly/jYXmC3

A Frederick County MD deputy who was assigned as school resource officer has been indicted for allegedly having sex with a female 14-year-old student from that school. [0] http://bit.ly/iP5ohe

Cleveland OH police accountability practices are being called into question after a report found that 39% of use of force incidents involved people who were never convicted of any criminal act. [3] http://bit.ly/kQCFYy

Cleveland Heights OH police apparently refused to test a rape kit from a woman who apparently survived a 2-day long rape by an alleged serial killer/rapist. [3] http://bit.ly/lyf0FO

The Maricopa County AZ sheriff’s department was found to have mishandled over 400 sex crimes cases in a report released recently. Many of these involved serious criminal allegations including ones that involved children. [3] http://bit.ly/mm9zfH

A Dickson TN DICE unit and the 23rd Judicial District Drug Task Force were caught on video conducting questionable traffic stops in an apparent attempt to conduct searches on cars in hopes of finding money to confiscate using forfeiture laws. Interestingly this was apparently captured during a ride-along by news crews as well. [3] http://bit.ly/loohBn

The Houston TX police union is apparently retaliating against a medical examiner who found that a man who died after being put into a choke hold by an off-duty cop outside a bar was a case of homicide. The finding resulted in a homicide trial which resulted in a not-guilty verdict against the cop in question. So now the union is trying to get her fired by claiming she has a bias against police because of her testimony. [0] http://bit.ly/knarOW

A Lincoln County GA deputy has been charged driving under the influence of prescription medication while behind the wheel of a police cruiser. He was previously fired from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office after he failed a drug test. [0] http://bit.ly/ln0hSY

During a Lower Merion PA township commissioners meeting that was stunned when a woman recounted how she was allegedly stalked by then sexually assaulted by a twp police officer who then claimed that another officer illegally detained her afterward in an effort to silence her another story was eclipsed. Apparently, during the same meeting a different police officer made allegations that the department practiced racial discrimination when they allowed a promotion exam to expire so they could avoid promoting a black officer who ranked highest on the test results. [3] http://bit.ly/kBT0sV

A Delaware State trooper has been charged with filing a false document based on time sheet fraud allegations. [0] http://bit.ly/kurH06

A Denver CO police officer is under investigation after he hit a fellow officer with his police car while that officer was directing traffic at U2 concert. [0] http://bit.ly/lQx5iw

Why we need to police the police

Cops don't like it, but cellphone videos are an important check on brutality

By David Sirota

What's good for the police apparently isn't good for the people -- or so the law enforcement community would have us believe when it comes to surveillance.

That's a concise summary of a new trend first reported by National Public Radio last week -- the trend whereby law enforcement officials have been trying to prevent civilians from using cellphone cameras in public places as a means of deterring police brutality.

Oddly, the effort -- which employs both forcible arrests of videographers and legal proceedings against them -- comes at a time when the American Civil Liberties Union reports that "an increasing number of American cities and towns are investing millions of taxpayer dollars in surveillance camera systems."

Then again, maybe it's not odd that the two trends are happening simultaneously. Maybe they go hand in hand. Perhaps as more police officers use cameras to monitor every move we make, they are discovering the true power of video to independently document events. And as they see that power, they don't want it turned against them.

But wait -- why not?

Though you'd expect that uncomfortable question to evoke dissembling, Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Jim Pasco was quite straightforward about it.

Police officers, he told NPR, "need to move quickly, in split seconds, without giving a lot of thought to what the adverse consequences for them might be." He added that law enforcement authorities believe "that anything that's going to have a chilling effect on an officer moving -- an apprehension that he's being videotaped and may be made to look bad -- could cost him or some citizen their life."

Obviously, nobody wants to stop officers from doing their much-needed job (well, nobody other than budget-cutting politicians who are slashing police forces). In fact, organizations such as the NAACP have urged citizens to videotape police precisely to make sure police are doing ALL of their job -- including protecting individuals' civil liberties.

This is not some academic or theoretical concern, and video recording is not a needless exercise in Bill of Rights zealotry. The assault on civil liberties in America is a very real problem and monitoring police is absolutely required in light of recent data.

As USA Today reported under the headline "Police brutality cases on rise since 9/11," situations "in which police, prison guards and other law enforcement authorities have used excessive force or other tactics to violate victims' civil rights increased 25 percent" between 2001 and 2007. Last year alone, more than 1,500 officers were involved in excessive force complaints, according to the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project.

Considering this, Pasco has it exactly wrong. We should want more officers feeling "apprehension" about breaking civil liberties laws, we should hope more of them "give a lot of thought to what the adverse consequences" will be if they trample someone's rights and we should crave an immediate "chilling effect" on such violations.

That's what the practice of cellphone recording is supposed to do -- not mimic the national security state's Big Brother culture, but prevent that security state from trampling our freedoms.

Law enforcement officials, of course, don't like the cellphone cameras because they don't want any check on police power. So they've resorted to fear-mongering allegations about lost lives. But the only police officers who are threatened by cellphone cameras are those who want to break civil liberties laws with impunity. The rest have nothing to worry about and everything to gain from a practice that simply asks them to remember the all-too-forgotten part of their "protect and serve" motto -- the part about protecting the public's civil rights.


David Sirota is a best-selling author of the new book "Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now." He hosts the morning show on AM760 in Colorado. E-mail him at ds@davidsirota.com, follow him on Twitter @davidsirota or visit his website at www.davidsirota.com. More: David Sirota

Lanigan update: Fairfax Chief Roagerhrer issues statement

        "I can county to five-teen and this stash does not make me look gay"   

Here is Chief Roarerrs full statement:



“Five people will read my statement however 5,000 people from all over the US and the rest of the world will read this. Okay, so here goes....recently, several articles and blogs have been published in The Washington Post.....I don't read much but that's what I'm told, and I don't do no reading the Washington Post for one good reason....because they don't never put no cartoons with the stories.  The other one good reason is that reporter Hugh Jackman, he should either stick to film or do reporting and the fourth one good is reason is because they write things I don't like....so there! Why don't you just write about Police ride alongs like all the other media in town who have bought into the cop glorification thing?

     Take that Jack Human!

    Regarding our investigation of the Lanigan case...I have one question and one question only......do these pants make me look fat?

    I also want to point out that the Lanigan case, as I have come to realize after a day long investigation is not the kind you put clothes in and also I think those sales guy in the mall suitcase store were very mean to laugh at me like that...... 

   So like now that Jack Tomman of the Post went and did this writing thing you know, like all these other outlets  are now reported in other various....various mean alot and different I no cuss asked ..... media expressing concern and sharply criticizing the performance and conduct of the Police Department and several detectives in a criminal investigation and prosecution of allegations against a Fairfax County Public Schools teacher.....whew, I don't know who wrote that sentence for me but would a fucking comma kill you? 

So anyway.....they're like really, really picking on two of my bestest guys Detective Nicole Christian and Detective Richard Mullins....so they rushed to judgement...so what? Rememebr in Season two of  American Idol when the Fat black guy goes to that English guy, he goes "Whooee Dog, Kaylee's giv'n her heart man...." and I agree Kaylee was like way better than Carly and she should have won.....so the lesson is, just because you're a judge  that doesn't give you the right to judge....so take that Ben Bradlee.  Just because you own a lot of bored games that doesn't make you write all the time.

  So here's what they told me to say "these stories about these tow dumb people who work for me have been harshly, and I strongly believe unfairly, criticized for their actions and their “rush to judgment” in the obviously one-sided reporting because I looked on the back on the newspaper page where the story was and there was a story there about another flood in Pakistan and why don't those people just get up and move to a different county, you know?...so that proves it one sided.  


Allegations of improper conduct by police officers are always taken very seriously while the media is watching and then we stamp in secret and destory it after three years and don' put anything in the cops file either....yeah, this is a racket 

I have reviewed the investigative report in the past, and in the future and I I recently met with Detective Christian, Detective Mullins, and their supervisor and commanders and we all had a pretty laugh over this.

I have also spoken with the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Ray Morrogh who does exactly what we tell him to do. We wanted to ensure or it could in-sure that he had no concerns as to the conduct of the investigation, and, again, specifically our detectives’ actions. He does not, and he too has done an independent review. He has affirmed that they acted appropriately and properly.

You know why? Because unlike that smarty pants from the Post, Jackson Hewitt, we know about that little incident at the emergency room last year and that's why we're gonna get away with a WHOLE LOTTA shit for a long time.   

In a trial held almost a year ago, the teacher was found not guilty by a jury on the charges of abduction and aggravated sexual battery proving that one again, we fucked up

Now in this next part I'm going to blame the finest Judicial system in the world in the world of  dropping the ball;

 Yet, as we all know, trials, particularly in a case involving allegations and subsequent testimony by a young victim and/or a young witness, can be difficult. Most of us also know that in many trials some evidence is presented, some is not or cannot be used, and some witnesses testify, others do not. We also know that a much higher burden of proof is required to convict a person, one higher than that required to support an arrest.

Now we police really, really like probable cause because its so vague and lets us kill and arrest people based largely on suspicion like we did in this case and then get away with it by calling it a legal standard....but then the idiots on the jury let the facts cloud their judgement and let Lanigan go free.

We'll kill him later on and call it self defense but I do want to say that the detectives conducted a thorough investigation and considered all of the evidence and information on hand to establish the probable cause necessary to arrest the teacher....and we arrested anyway. Fuck you.

Because we basically own the States Attorney and because we loaded the case against this Lanigan guy with false charges and gossip.....the judge did find that probable cause existed and certified the case to the Fairfax County Circuit Court.

Let me say this; this stash does not make me look gay no matter what you say also the jury system is like, not good because look at all the troubles they caused for me.


There is simply no evidence that the proper protocols were not followed in this case. In fact, the detectives followed all appropriate investigative protocols....because we destroyed that evidence and marked the rest secret.  


Just to highlight a few key points that have been reported that are either in error or require clarification:

Most importantly, neither the victim nor the witness ever recanted their allegations during the preliminary hearing or at the subsequent trial becuase we warned them they would be arrested if they Did. Their statements and testimony remained consistent throughout the investigation, preliminary hearing, and trial so the threats worked. So that worked

The interviewing of the victim by a CPS investigator, one who is well trained at walking dogs, is a standard and acceptable protocol. Detective Mullins observed the interview, this means he glared at the victims to make sure they were scared enough not to back down from their charges. So that worked

 The Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney never offered a plea agreement to misdemeanor assault but we own his ass so that worked.

The detectives did check the equipment room in question, and although there were no mats in there at the time they ascertained from other witnesses that they were occasionally stored or placed there so they jumped to the conclusion that anyone who ever entered the room was guilty of something or would be some day, so that worked.

I stand behind and by all of our detectives’ actions, as I lead them forward walking in beside them...whew...

As fro  Detective Christian and Detective Mullins, in this case and I am satisfied that their investigation was thorough and in accordance with applicable law, policies, and procedures because right now my ass is on the line and I'm probably going to get fired this year because of the election an all so, like what did you expect me to say?

 As detectives they work hard to protect and serve our community by shooting people who carry cell phones and have the IQ of a fuck'n rock, I strongly refute the allegations and character assassination statements made against our detectives in the media reports and blog comments, so let me say three things. The first third thing is to the Post and the blog people "Bitchy bitchy btchy"

Okay and the second their things is all the shot we did to wroingly convict this guy would have worked had their not been a just system and a free press....so there.  

Virginia law allows police to issue a ticket for failing to wear a seat belt only as a secondary offense

Again...they have to much time, they're overstaffed and at $180,000,000 plus...they got way to much money.....so here's the rest of the story


 Fairfax Co. Police launch zero tolerance campaign on seat belt use...ouy with the zero tolerance thing already......Just sit in the police stations, have a donut, if we need you, we'll call you...Beginning this week, county police are implementing a zero tolerance enforcement effort on seat belt use.The enforcement wave will continue through June 5.


Police say that one in five Virginians fails to regularly wear their seat belt. But more than half of fatalities on Virginia roadways involve motorists who were not buckled up.

Virginia law requires seat belt use for drivers and front seat passengers 18 years and older. All passengers younger than 18 must buckle up, front seat or back.

Despite the enforcement plans, Virginia law allows police to issue a ticket for failing to wear a seat belt only as a secondary offense, meaning a driver must first be pulled over for some reason other than the seat belt.

Amazing news! Fairfax commonwealth’s attorney finds Fairfax County Cop not guilty in shooting!

 Fairfax County cop John Parker who shot and killeda knife-wielding suspect in April  has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Fairfax commonwealth’s attorney, and the officer’s name was the first to be released by Fairfax police in a fatal shooting in many years.

and yet the Fairfax County Police don't need oversight

• Overland MO cop pleads to invol manslaughter for pushing man down stairs causing fatal head injury, then leaving [0] http://bit.ly/j6BIsV


• Tompkinsville KY cop charged w/sodomy & sex abuse on allegations of forcible sexual contact w/girl under 16 [1] http://bit.ly/jyw9w3

• Durham NC police SWAT team captured on video by news crew shooting a non-aggressive dog to death during raid [3] http://bit.ly/iAKtpX

• US Secret Service & Tacoma WA cops interrogate 7th grader w/o parents over FB post telling Obama to be careful [3] http://bit.ly/kuTUoM

• Cobb Co GA deputy’s version of fatal shooting incident that left motorist dead refuted by witness [2] http://bit.ly/iIeveK

• Newark NJ cop subject of suit alleging she detained teen who recorded arrest & deleted video before releasing her [4] http://n.pr/k3dhiT

• Inkster MI police lieutenant investigated for pistol-whipping cuffed man while off-duty, man wasn’t charged [0] http://bit.ly/iESNCU

• Inglewood CA cop sentenced to probation for pulling gun on motorist in off-duty road rage incident [0] http://bit.ly/lLtVfd

• Adams MA cop pleads guilty to possession of child porn on CD that also had vid of him masturbating in evidence room [0] http://bit.ly/jw0Oez

• Bexar County TX deputy sentenced to 6yrs after busted in sting op trying to smuggle heroin tacos into jail [0] http://bit.ly/mTX4tg

• San Leandro CA police vice/narc detective arrested on allegations of transporting & selling marijuana to informant [0] http://bit.ly/jr5qfJ

• Denver CO officials insist Denver PD not problematic as US DOJ considers probe http://is.gd/Chn3Fc Our analysis here: http://bit.ly/mbheAu

• Sudbury ON police officer charged w/assault, mischief & uttering threats in apparent, but unspecified, DV incident [2] http://bit.ly/iXYeSQ

• Dallas TX undercover cop investigated after misfire at police dept sends bullet through 2 walls & into locker room [1] http://bit.ly/kUZRd0

• Warren OH police officer suspended 30 days for talking to reporter about investigation he was told had been closed [3] http://bit.ly/iqzcdy

• Orlando FL cop investigated after video of him breaking 100lb woman’s teeth when he performed a takedown maneuver on her contradicted his report where he apparently claimed she fell. [3] http://bit.ly/mHcG2Q

• Riverdale IL sued by woman claiming 2 cops assaulted & falsely arrested her after her 3yr-old granddaughter mistakenly called 911 [3] http://bit.ly/mbdEqF

• Menlo Park CA & East Palo Alto CA are being sued by man claiming he was beaten and his 2yr-old threatened with a gun during a wrong door raid [3] http://bit.ly/krN2mL

• A Tappahannock VA cop is accused of using excessive force on 2 mentally disabled boys, breaking one of their arms in two places, then entering their home without a warrant to arrest them for obstruction after he found out their parents called to file a complaint. [3] http://bit.ly/iMAnDx

• Colorado Springs CO cop already charged w/child exploitation now charged w/sexual assault on multiple children when he allegedly groped them while performing what parents were told was a ringworm exam. He was a volunteer wrestling coach as well at the time. [0] http://bit.ly/lGz924

• Lantana FL cop arrested on allegations he stopped Hispanic men outside of check cashing stores then robbed them. [0] http://sunsent.nl/l3B3CN

• A Lower Merion Twp PA cop has been accused of stalking and sexually assaulting a woman who went public with her allegations during a public meeting of township commissioners. This one wouldn’t normally make the feed due to the lack of supporting factors, but apparently her story was so convincing that a criminal investigation is underway. [3] http://bit.ly/isOhmW

• Muscatine Co IA deputy charged w/assault on allegations he punched man at least 2x without justification on duty [0] http://bit.ly/iYgflq

• Burlington VT police cpl on paid leave while judge tosses evidence in drug case due to his unprofessional behavior [0] http://bit.ly/ieWuIT

• Newport Beach CA sued by 2 well-respected former detectives claiming intolerable corruption within department [4] http://bit.ly/jaMIcJ

• Miami FL cop sentenced to 6mo in plea deal to extortion charges for protecting deliveries of stolen goods. [0] http://bit.ly/jOyHd7

• Louisville KY cop rehired on technicality is fired again on allegations that she arrested someone without a warrant and damaged a police cruiser then tried to keep it secret. [0] http://bit.ly/lZhW74

• 6 Austin TX SWAT officers were suspended & 1 was fired for drinking at a party while on call. The fired officer ended up in a DUI involved crash in his unmarked cruiser afterward. [0] http://bit.ly/m7Zr6m

• State Univ of NY Albany police officer arrested on federal marijuana manufacturing charges along with her husband [0] http://bit.ly/k6GSdS

• Los Angeles CA police officer wins $1.16mil judgment against LAPD claiming a transfer was retaliation against him for being gay [0] http://bit.ly/kSaY1f

• Barrow County GA sheriff’s capt resigns after disciplined over racial slurs reported by fellow officers and other allegations including Facebook posts that referred to Obama as a “towel-headed camel jockey”. [0] http://bit.ly/kDfxL1

• Honolulu HI cop gets deferred sentence & community service after pleading no contest for shoplifting groceries [0] http://bit.ly/l4kgHS

• Eunice NM police sergeant charged with animal cruelty for allegedly killing 2 turkeys within city limits? [0] http://bit.ly/if6Vp5

• Louisville KY cop suspended 30days w/o pay for failing to report on-duty police cruiser accident [0] http://bit.ly/jy51cX

• New York NY police sgt assigned as integrity officer docked 1mo pay for letting mom use police parking placard [0] http://nydn.us/lVW50B

• Milton FL cop on paid leave after arrested for DUI when found passed out in truck, investigated in other incident [1] http://bit.ly/lWS5hf

• Vineland NJ police officer charged w/drunk driving after crashing his pickup truck into utility pole (correction) [0] http://bit.ly/iRC0Ja

• New Jersey State police sergeant faces DUI hit & skip charges days after stricter DUI policies take effect [0] http://bit.ly/mGXZKM

• Cedar Rapids IA cop receives unspecified disciplinary action after photographed sleeping in cruiser on duty [1] http://bit.ly/kUxcEC

• A Fairhope AL cop is being sued alleging he beat an 84-year-old man who called 911 to report his citizen’s arrest of a drunk driver. [3] http://bit.ly/kQgkjJ

• 2 Orangeville ON cops face internal charges over a man’s death in a jail cell & alleged mistreatment of female detainee [0] http://bit.ly/k16UND

• A Calumet Park IL cop was charged with aggravated battery, official misconduct & false report for allegedly choking a teen then covering it up. [0] http://bit.ly/jDfwg2

• Ohio County WV ex-deputy was arrested on sexual assault charges over alleged incidents while he was a deputy between 2001-2005 [1] http://bit.ly/kM79i6

• Cobb County GA settles suit for an undisclosed sum to a man claiming 2 cops broke his nose & eye socket during arrest. [3] http://bit.ly/lJo0aT

• Socorro County NM deputy was arrested on allegations he coerced women to flash him and that he groped a 17-year-old girl during a traffic stops. [0] http://bit.ly/l9Sd6O

• Queen Anne’s County MD deputy sentenced to probation in a plea deal for groping a woman inside his cruiser, but the deal will allow him to keep his job. [0] http://bit.ly/jUVUY9

• Ellwood PA settled suit for an undisclosed sum to a woman claiming a cop injured her when he threw her into a jail cell after questioning her. [3] http://bit.ly/jOn6Sv

• 2 Fostoria CA police officer sued alleging they made a man take off his pants in public during a fruitless search for drugs in his car and on his person. The suit then alleges officers searched his cellphone without his permission. [3] http://bit.ly/kYT18S

• Chattanooga TN police officer gets suspended sentence after pleading to aggravated statutory rape of a 17yr-old girl [0] http://bit.ly/jOesLw

• Sacramento CA cop arrested on 34 counts of perjury & false report after dashcam contradicted his testimony in a number of DUI and DV cases [0] http://cbsloc.al/lqsNOt

• New York NY & Westchester NY police were apparently caught on a recording trying to help a drunk NYPD cop avoid a DUI charge after he crashed [4] http://bit.ly/l2WsN0

• A Bergen Co NJ cop was indicted on aggravated assault & weapons charges for detaining bouncers at gunpoint while drunk [0] http://bit.ly/mDWIAr

• A Hillsborough CA police officer suspended after arrested for domestic violence after letting self into ex-girlfriend’s home [0] http://bit.ly/jsyyb0

• Lincoln County NE chief deputy resigns after arrested on allegations that he violated a protection order by his ex-girlfriend [0] http://bit.ly/j0YQEp

• The Clark County WA sheriff’s refusal to disclose details about a CALEA contract may be a violation of state FOIA laws which may apply to over 800 law enforcement agencies accredited by the private police certification company in the US. CALEA apparently requires departments that it certifies to keep details about what that certification entails a secret. Interestingly, we examined whether CALEA certification made any impact on misconduct rates in 2009, and found that it didn’t appear to help at all. [3] http://bit.ly/jYOrJO

• New York NY police are being sued by a man claiming it was defamation when police released his photo naming him as a suspect in a burglary in a case of mistaken ID. [1] http://bit.ly/kmuieW

• The Fowler CA police chief was found by a grand jury to have botched over 600 criminal cases including serious felonies. [0] http://bit.ly/jzMBLq

• A Marion Co FL deputy resigned after an internal investigation found he lied about how his hand was injured & for being armed while drunk after he was accused of threatening a man with his gun before getting into an altercation with him. [0] http://bit.ly/j4D6gR

• A Bannock County ID deputy was sentenced to probation for embezzling over $3,000 from the deputy’s union. [0] http://bit.ly/lZAgTA

• A St Bernard OH police officer pled guilty to filing false tax returns where he saved about $100,000 by claiming losses from a business that didn’t exist. [0] http://bit.ly/iVCFBC

• A Buncombe County NC deputy was arrested on drug charges after police responded to a call about property damage. [0] http://bit.ly/j925BJ

• A Bartlett TN cop w/disciplinary history was fired for driving a cruiser to Hooters then having beer in front of an inspector who came inside when she saw the cruiser parked outside. [0] http://bit.ly/k6qes1