Fairfax County Police Watch: 06/09/11

US Dept of Education SWAT team conducts wrong door raid on man’s home in search of student loan debtor [4] http://bit.ly/mUhj3X

Los Angeles CA police sued by couple claiming excessive force, beat people w/batons on video at kid’s b-day party [3] http://bit.ly/lZ7h5S

Parkersburg WV settles suit for $2,500 to man claiming cops shot his dog w/o provocation & taunted him about it [0] http://bit.ly/iWZ2my

Portland OR police subject of pattern & practice civil rights investigation by US DOJ over shooting incidents [0] http://bit.ly/jJdglR

Illinois State police accused of racial bias in use of traffic stop consent searches in ACLU complaint to US DOJ [0] http://trib.in/lz8d43

New Castle PA cop subject of internal & criminal investigation after K9 partner died when left in hot patrol car [0] http://bit.ly/lXe0O2

Upshur Co TX sheriff & commissioner charged w/accepting gifts via free legal help for official repression charges [0] http://bit.ly/kKDV6e

Indiana State excise police officer sentenced to 2yrs for stealing guns & money evidence room in staged break-in [0] http://bit.ly/mOkFk5

1 of 17 Baltimore MD cops implicated in towing kickback extortion scheme pleads guilty to federal charges [0] http://bsun.md/m1jCvJ

2 Ft Worth TX cops indicted for falsifying traffc tickets to get OT not worked, 3 so far, possible 6 more involved [0] http://bit.ly/lN3lxB

St Petersburg FL homicide detective arrested for allegedly extorting money & goods from recently arrested felon [0] http://bit.ly/kiRO0Q

New Orleans LA cop arrested for violating restraint order filed after he discharged weapon near ex & her boyfriend [0] http://bit.ly/jOpoDE

Milton FL cop arrested for false report & hit & run after dashcam caught him lying about hitting mailbox w/cruiser [0] http://bit.ly/m1teDk

Alaska State trooper charged w/drunk driving with BAC 5x legal limit hours after crashing state-owned SUV & fleeing [0] http://bit.ly/iHDYZz

Pine Lawn MO undercover cop arrested on DUI & careless driving charges while behind wheel of police decoy vehicle [0] http://bit.ly/lIJjbe

Indianapolis IN police sued by state trooper claiming he was falsely detained after verbal altercation w/cop at HQ [0] http://bit.ly/kkD0HW

Lincoln Co NC sheriff’s sgt suspended 3 days over altercation with female motorist while off-duty [0] http://bit.ly/jepyOd

Boulder County CO settles 1st Amendment suit for $20k to man jailed for swearing at deputy during traffic stop [0] http://bit.ly/l2eyHZ

Washington DC Metro cops investigated after video shows at least 2 cops repeatedly punching man on ground [0] http://bit.ly/mxDKFf

Albuquerque NM police ordered to pay $400k to family of man shot to death while on ground after already shot [0] http://bit.ly/j0eIUt

Seattle WA police sued by family of man left severely brain damaged after tasered, beaten & restrained w/spit hood [3] http://bit.ly/lVpiOz

Oakland CA settles suit for $175k to cameraman who was attacked by several cops who broke his camera [0] http://bit.ly/jkbhBY

Snohomish Co WA deputy on leave while investigated for allegedly injuring wife while trying to force her to have sex[1] http://bit.ly/ld2M4A

New York NY cop sentenced to 20yrs prison for sting of violent robberies that netted over $4mil & 1,650lbs cocaine [0] http://nyp.st/kJpUjs

Kansas City MO police sergeant subject of criminal investigation for alleged role in robbery/theft while in uniform [2] http://bit.ly/mDadB5

Columbus OH cop suspended 30 days w/o pay for crash that violated policy & sent 3 elderly women to hospital [0] http://bit.ly/mFCym2

Maricopa Co AZ to settle suit for $650k to family of man killed by car chased by deputy in violation of policy [0] http://bit.ly/kep0jc

South Bend IN cop already in prison for selling drugs stolen from suspects gets 7yr sentence for gas station robbery[0] http://bit.ly/iEuLQE

Covington LA cop indicted for allegedly attacking drug store owner over reserved spot at drug store for parade [1] http://bit.ly/kPjP3B

El Paso TX cop gets deferred adjudication after pleading guilty to groping 15yr-old stundet’s breasts & harassing her [0] http://bit.ly/jkbbVY

Hatboro PA cop resigns after suspended w/o pay during an ongoing but unspecified criminal investigation [2] http://bit.ly/lBKjxO

Boston MA cop sentenced to 15mo fed prison for faking injury to get disability pay, owes city over $167,000 [0] http://bit.ly/jI8nGw

Ackerman MS police officer arrested on distribution of controlled substance charges for hydrocodone & alprazolam [0] http://bit.ly/mhE618

Richmond City VA deputy fired after arrested for conspiring to distribute controlled substances in the city jail [0] http://bit.ly/mlW4zz

San Diego Co CA deputy cited and released on drunk driving charges after stopped for making a wrong way turn [0] http://bit.ly/jDFmxA

Hernando County FL deputy with 3 career suspensions is suspended w/o pay after issued summons on DUI charge [0] http://bit.ly/lbYIT6

Jacksonville TX cop reprimanded for telling driver in crash “I know how you drive” instead of talking to witnesses [0] http://bit.ly/knJAPW

Denver CO has settled an excessive force suit for $117k to a man who alleged that police caused him to suffer head injuries and a collapsed lung after they beat him with either flashlights or a club. [0] http://bit.ly/lXwZan

Ottawa ON police are being sued by a man shot while unarmed & laying down during drug raid by a cop trying to shoot his dog [3] http://bit.ly/iJmVhQ

3 Toronto ON cops are being accused of punching a college student because he turned his back on an officer who followed him to a mall to give him a citation after the police had already stopped him and gave him a warning instead. The student was given a number of citations but never arrested or charged with any crimes. [3] http://bit.ly/mHC22n

Onslow Co NC deputy sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to indecent liberties w/minor charges. [0] http://bit.ly/jSnFTZ

New York NY jurors are now saying that they are certain that the two police officers they acquitted on rape charges were guilty of rape, but that they couldn’t hand down a guilty verdict due to the judge’s orders and the lack of DNA evidence. It’s being predicted that the judge will hand down a heavy sentence for the official misconduct charges that they were convicted of due to their comments to the press vilifying the woman they were charged with raping. [0] http://bit.ly/jRrng7

Homewood IL police arrested a man on a felony wiretap charge for recording his traffic stop with his cell phone. While not technically misconduct because it’s legal for police to do that in Illinois, it’s another noteworthy event in the battle to preserve the public’s ability to police the police. [0] http://bit.ly/kHZCOD

Fair Oaks Ranch TX cop charged with lying about his citizenship status in an effort to join an FBI counter terrorism team [0] http://bit.ly/mTOsur

A Rialto CA drug task force cop and a lawyer have both been indicted on federal bribery charges for conspiring to dismiss a criminal case [0] http://lat.ms/mgqnWe

3 Loudon Co TN deputies subject of false arrest suit alleging they mistook a man’s cerebral palsy for intoxication then continued to press charges after he tested clean. [3] http://bit.ly/kFQi2p

New York NY police commander subject of EEO claim filed by a sergeant alleging male-on-male sexual harassment [2] http://nydn.us/mfG6Zp

A Parker CO cop was fired for mishandling a DUI case against an Aurora CO cop who was rehired after the case against him was dismissed [1] http://bit.ly/kvEA1j

A Mesa AZ police sgt who is also the head of the union, is under investigation after being detained, but not charged, for disorderly conduct involving alcohol. [2] http://bit.ly/ktr4JA

A Macon GA police officer is on leave pending termination after arrested on DUI charges when stopped for speeding. [0] http://bit.ly/kGFvKN

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.