Fairfax County Police Watch: 06/01/11

· A Sweetwater FL police officer’s report was apparently contradicted on video showing him grab a handcuffed man by the neck then slamming him face-first into the floor of a police holding area. Another officer was then shown dragging that man, still face down, to a holding cell leaving a trail of blood behind him due to the gash on his head that required 12 stitches. The police chief and state attorney’s office insist the officer did nothing wrong, citing his report saying the man refused to put his hands, cuffed behind his back, on the counter and that he lunged at the officer… both insist they saw the video, shown above, which contradicted that account too. [3] http://cbsloc.al/kjCUuB

· A Polk County FL deputy has been arrested on child abuse and child pornography charges on allegations that she strapped her naked daughters and would beat them with sex toys and a leather sex paddle while filming the beatings on her cell phone to share with her boyfriend that she met on a fetish website. [0] http://thesent.nl/l7sWHx

· An Albany GA police officer was sentenced to 10yrs prison & 10yrs probation after convicted for molesting an 8yr-old girl [0] http://bit.ly/k81myA

· Los Angeles CA police officer was sentenced to 8.5yrs for sexually assaulting an 18yr-old girl two months after a 19-year-old homeless girl reported him for trying to solicit sex from her while he was on duty. [0] http://lat.ms/m8Ebbh

· Wayne Univ MI police officer arrested on allegations that he forced a woman to perform sex acts on him under color of law [0] http://bit.ly/lcQ5j8

· 2 New York NY cops fired after found guilty of official misconduct but acquitted on rape, burglary & other charges [0] http://bit.ly/mwO9Yf

· Saint Paul MN & the US Govt settled suit for $50k to 3 activists who were among several detained during a raid on a home ahead of the RNC. [0] http://bit.ly/jdc3R4

· New York NY police sued by NYACLU for using taxi inspection program to detain and frisk passengers [3] http://on.wsj.com/jPj8cc

· Crown Point IN settles unspecified false arrest/excessive force lawsuit involving two women for unspecified amount [3] http://bit.ly/jvm20V

· New York NY police are accused of harassing then ticketing man for taking photos of cops & soldiers at rail station, a portion of the incident was captured on video. [3] http://bit.ly/j9vb4E

· Pickens SC police chief resigns after disciplined for referring to city council members with racial slurs [0] http://bit.ly/jVIv9s

· Austin TX settles suit for $250k to motorcyclist hit by cop who ran red while using his cruiser’s dashboard laptop [0] http://bit.ly/kHlKMi

· 2 Kingsport TN cops avoid termination, both suspended 6wks & 1 demoted for taking confiscated beer for themselves and then lying on a report saying they destroyed it after confiscating it from underage kids. [0] http://bit.ly/iOJN2e

· Auburn NY police officer was sentenced to 1-3yrs prison on 29 counts of official misconduct, coercion and bribery [0] http://bit.ly/lvrb7U

· Damascus VA cop arrested on allegations that he beat & attacked wife w/knife & threw phone at stepdaughter [0] http://bit.ly/lbWXmf

· Washington County NE deputy found guilty of 3rd degree assault for hitting dispatcher he was in a relationsip with [0] http://bit.ly/jCxVps

· Woodridge IL cop who resigned in Mar charged w/felony theft for allegedly stealing $30k from a charity for fallen officers. [0] http://bit.ly/kUkCZo

· Champaign County OH sheriff’s sgt suspended while investigated over an alleged improper relationship with a minor that officials insist didn’t involve any allegations of sexual misconduct. [1] http://bit.ly/liGj38

The Bartow County GA sheriff’s office is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that deputies forced a woman to undergo an evangelical “ex-gay conversion” program instead of taking her to a court-mandated drug rehab program and that, after she escaped, they arrested her on false charges. The sheriff’s department denies the allegations and, from what’s been reported so far, there doesn’t appear to be enough supporting evidence, especially with allegations that outrageous. However, the suit does mention specific payments made by the county to the people who performed the “conversion” so if it turns out there’s evidence of such payments, that might make it pretty credible.

· Streamwood IL cop sentenced to probation for beating motorist w/metal baton 15x & tasering passenger on dashcam video [0] http://trib.in/jd6b6I

· South Bend IN settles suit for $48k to man who had broken ribs, ruptured spleen & punctured lung after cop tackled him w/o warning [0] http://bit.ly/jBKlau

· 3 Phoenix AZ cops sued by man claiming the officers lied about why they tasered him and beat him with flashlights because there was no way he could have ran from them and assaulted them… he claims he’s partially paralyzed due to a childhood bout with polio. [3] http://bit.ly/j5sh9R

· Cincinnati OH cop under investigation after shooting an unarmed suspect in the hand when he was found hiding in a closet… but the officer is refusing to tell investigators why. [0] http://bit.ly/jPotMr

· Southgate MI police officer charged w/sexual assault for allegedly taking a domestic violence victim to a hotel for her own safety and then returning later and sexually assaulting her. [0] http://bit.ly/mgSjuj

· Colorado Springs CO cop already facing child porn & sex assault charges involving 6 boys may have 5 more victims, bringing the count to 11. [0] http://bit.ly/kUgLDA

· Miami Beach FL cops are accused of taking cell phones from witnesses and even attacking one man and crushing his cellphone after they filmed an officer-involved shooting incident that left an unarmed man dead and injured 4 innocent bystanders. [5] http://bit.ly/kI2Cj4

· Leon Valley TX cop suspended for firing weapon at neighbor’s homes while drunk, two departments are investigated why their officers didn’t arrest him. [1] http://bit.ly/iAoAQa

· Broward Co FL deputy arrested woman after mistaking sage for pot but the woman is suing the prosecutor for filing charges against her without waiting for test results from the lab. [3] http://bit.ly/jdyu0S

· Fairfield AL police & school sued by mom of a bipolar 5th grader who was cuffed & detained in cruiser to “scare him” into behaving. [3] http://bit.ly/mHpwha

· Chattanooga TN settles suit for $150k to a pedestrian badly injured when hit by distracted cop in police cruiser [0] http://bit.ly/iDsNlu

· Granby CO cop convicted of sending nude pics of himself & possessing nude pics of a 16yr-old girl he met on while responding to a call at her school. [0] http://bit.ly/k6iXgv

· Newark OH cop shoots family’s injured cat to death 20ft away from their front door. The family demands a policy change after saying the officer told them that he didn’t seek their permission because it would have been inconvenient. [0] http://bit.ly/lRmdtv

· Maryland Transit police warned by Maryland ACLU to stop detaining people for taking pictures or face civil suit after two incidents that occurred after an agreement by that agency with the ACLU to stop doing it. [0] http://bsun.md/iZ9SfV

· Los Angeles Co CA deputy sentenced to 3yrs (1.5 w/good behavior) for stealing $454k in towing fees from town [0] http://bit.ly/kcnyhJ

· New Hampshire State trooper sentenced to 6mo w/3 suspended for bribery, exchanged salvage tags for car repairs [0] http://bit.ly/lHCFcq

· A Denver CO police sergeant was suspended for 30 days for secretly recording an internal affairs commander in an effort to prove his theory that internal affairs had an anti-cop bias. His supervisor was suspended 80 days for approving the plot. Another officer was fired after a judge found him in contempt, but that is already in our database as a charge against the officer, which supersedes a disciplinary action. [0] http://bit.ly/jFgDD6

· US Park police officers are under investigation over their actions in the above video where the folks from the “Adam vs The Man” show decided to protest a recent fed court decision upholding a ban on dancing at national memorials by dancing at the Jefferson Memorial. The officers are shown slamming people to the ground and choking one person before physically evicting people recording the incident from the memorial. [0] http://wamu.org/news/11/05/30/after_dancing_arrests_park_police_launch_inquiry.php

· Residents of Arlington TX are asking the feds to investigate that department after it delayed releasing information about how a mother was found strangled to death while clutching her infant daughter. What makes the delay curious is that an Arlington TX cop appears to be a person of interest in the case as he was fired this month over a complaint filed by that woman alleging that he forced her to strip in front of him. [2] http://bit.ly/kaQg59

· Several Narcotics officers from around the New England area who were attending a New England Narc Officer Assoc conference are being accused of participating in a group assault on a DJ at a bar after that DJ allegedly got in between one of the cops and a woman he was harassing. We can’t really add this report to the database until we know what agencies the accused officers work for though. [3] http://bit.ly/k5XsPK

· An RCMP Mountie in Kelowna BC got a sentencing deal which will leave him with a clean record after 40 hours of community service on an assault conviction for punching a pregnant woman in the face during a questionable warrantless home entry. [0] http://bit.ly/kDYC8S

· A Maui HI police officer pled guilty to stealing money from motorists and for sexually assaulting a woman after she was released from custody, all while on duty. [0] http://bit.ly/iLhtSK

· 2 Durant MS police officers who were accused of harassing residents w/o cause were fired over those “ongoing and proven complaints” [1] http://bit.ly/lyA73Z

· A Yorkville IL deputy police chief was arrested on allegations that he stole pain killers that were collected as part of that department’s unwanted prescription medication collection program. [0] http://bit.ly/isPYX6

· Cuyahoga Falls OH police are being sued by a man claiming cops violated his rights when they detained him at gunpoint for open carry. [0] http://bit.ly/mHNIwC

· Gary IN police quota of 10 traffic citations per day is being criticized by prosecutors, state police and defense attorneys alike. [0] http://bit.ly/mOIINx

· 3 Newark NJ cops and 5 Licking Co NJ deputies have been disciplined since the beginning of this year for various policy violations according to a newspaper’s FOIA request. All of these reports will be classified as general in our database which ranged from sleeping on duty to misuse of off-duty work detail schedules. [0] http://bit.ly/jksJcN

· The Detroit MI police chief has accepted blame for failing to secure and clean up a crime lab after abandoning it. This comes after reporters were able to enter the structure and found evidence, IDs, ammo & toxic chemicals left behind and easily accessed. [0] http://bit.ly/mAb3y7

· An Indiana State Trooper was charged w/obstruction over a strange DUI stop of woman he kept in his cruiser for hours after she tested over the limit but never charged her. An investigation found several pictures of her that he downloaded from her Facebook page on his dashboard computer. [0] http://bit.ly/iGZ04x

· The Orland CA police chief was placed on leave while he’s the subject of unspecified investigation, but officials refuse to release any info. [2] http://bit.ly/kUFTp1

· A Dothan AL police officer was arrested by a state trooper on DUI charges. The trooper’s report mentions that he may also face a charge for leaving scene of an accident. [1] http://bit.ly/liRA15

· Cleveland OH now-retired cop subject of suit for tasering man on video while he was on his knees w/hands up [0] http://bit.ly/myUibj

· Lee County FL deputy fired for excessive force & lying, caught on video pepperspraying cuffed man 2x without cause [0] http://bit.ly/jdrp55

· Toronto ON police sued by quadriplegic man claiming he was left on floor where he defecated himself after G20 arrest [3] http://bit.ly/j5Q1Yf

· Niles MI cop sentenced to 5-15yrs prison for sexually assaulting 19yr-old man he arrested on drug charges [0] http://bit.ly/jf0Csr

· Lakeland FL police officer avoids prosecution on sexual assault allegations by resigning & giving up certification [1] http://bit.ly/mKqapv

· Broward Co FL deputy investigated for stealing ID & breaking phone after recorded using slurs on motorist [0] http://cbsloc.al/ldgF8I

· Yamhill County OR deputy arrested on assault & criminal mistreatment charges, no other details have been released [2] http://bit.ly/kpgP7m

· Rowan County NC deputy fired but sheriff refuses to say why as sheriff’s group pushes for new secrecy law [4] http://bit.ly/mHrnyK

· Colorado State patrol accused of rights violation after charging man for flipping off trooper, CSP to dismiss [0] http://cbsloc.al/itJavY

· Middletown PA cop arrested on several charges for showing up at police station drunk, fighting w/cop & pulling gun [0] http://bit.ly/iDBRg4

· Niagra Falls NY police officer arrested on domestic violence charge, allegedly had criminal history when hired [1] http://bit.ly/k6zbGm

· New Castle County DE police officer arrested on domestic violence charges at home (subscriber site) [0] http://bit.ly/j8vOEp

· 2 Madison WI cops resign ahead of termination hearings over a variety of violations including unlawful conduct [0] http://bit.ly/kxACfB

· Cedar Rapids IA cop investigated for driving cruiser to bar w/2 women while drunk, patron took pics to show cops [0] http://bit.ly/jrJoPs

· San Diego CA cop under investigation after motorist called and reported him for suspicion of drunk driving [1] http://bit.ly/mPDaCx

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.