Fairfax County Police Watch: 06/28/11

Detroit MI cops accused of abusing man in wheelchair, pushed him w/cruiser, then arrested veteran who complained [4] http://bit.ly/mzlRlr

Toronto ON police sued by woman in “Officer Bubbles” video claiming she was assaulted & falsely arrested at G20 [3] http://bit.ly/kMAlBl

Fort Worth TX cop caught punching a restrained chase suspect on news helicopter video, no comment from police [3] http://bit.ly/mcWOGk

Lowell MA cop indicted for allegedly raping 2 prostitutes under threat of arrest & soliciting sex from others [0] http://bo.st/kGmdp3

Alamance Co NC sheriff’s dept sued by US DOJ seeking access to interview employees during rights investigation [4] http://bit.ly/mxT7Ou

Dallas TX cop suspended 15 days for beating man that he found with his estranged wife while in uniform [0] http://bit.ly/kHhpgK

Lethbridge AB cop faces disciplinary hearing after admitting to abusing police database to keep track of girlfriend [0] http://bit.ly/lZG00k

Huntington Park CA police chief gets probation in plea deal dropping over 12 charges for creepy stalker-like acts [0] http://bit.ly/lSRLQY

Saginaw Co MI deputy charged w/6misd & 5 felonies for misuse of police database & forged vehicle certificates [1] http://bit.ly/kIpXp9

Butte Co CA deputy arrested on drunk driving charge after driving car off an embankment [0] http://bit.ly/iEAy0L

Spartanburg Co SC deputy under investigation after cited for rear-ending car in on duty accident [0] http://bit.ly/mBkGwk

New York NY police sued by cop who was kicked, clubbed & maced after mistaken for suspect at daughter’s bday party [3] http://bit.ly/kiePJf

Louisiana Supreme Court rules that warrantless searches of cars based on police hunches are permissible [-] http://bit.ly/mKV2W2

Charlotte NC police accused of threatening blogger w/arrest for photographing an arrest of man he reported [4] http://bit.ly/j0XxkP

2 New Orleans LA cops face false reporting charges on allegations they planted drugs on man during false arrest [0] http://bit.ly/lxrvaz

Edinburg TX cop investigated after 18yr-old woman claims he tried to kiss her to drop ticket at traffic stop [0] http://bit.ly/kuJ0Nr

Saratoga Springs NY police chief suspended 1mo w/o pay for sending lewd texts to woman while on duty [0] http://bit.ly/iNq1w1

South Carolina state trooper fired after arrested for firing shot into home from moving car while drunk [0] http://bit.ly/keoZjf

New York NY (Bronx) cop arrested over series of text msgs in 2hr period that threatened to kill mother of his son [0] http://nyp.st/k0J9Ve

Connecticut state trooper arrested on assault & disorderly conduct charges in alleged domestic assault incident [1] http://bit.ly/j2RWy6

Cedar Rapids IA police won’t say whether cop photographed while drunk at bar w/police car was fired or quit [0] http://bit.ly/kWRcOb

Fullerton CA cop arrested on felony theft charge, caught on camera stealing iPad at Miami airport TSA checkpoint [1] http://bit.ly/kbLdMr

7 Ottawa ON cops sued by man alleging he was beaten & arrested for asking to see warrant in masked drug raid [4] http://bit.ly/isYpBV

Ottawa ON cop sued by man claiming he was beaten for writing down cop’s license & falsely charged to cover it up [3] http://bit.ly/iMQFOI

Lewiston ID loses suit for $1,950 after jury rules officer used excessive force when he beat & tasered man [0] http://bit.ly/lR9ceB

10-11 Fort Lee NJ cops disciplined for roles in leaving 5 teens locked in police van for 14hrs over noise complaint [1] http://bit.ly/kaoK1e

Rochester NY police accused of harassment by sending 4 cruisers to ticket cars during meeting about cop misconduct [3] http://bit.ly/lwra0B

Arizona DPS docs hacked by LulzSec reveal law enforcement fear of smartphone apps that let people record cops [3] http://bit.ly/mUBc9w

East Cleveland OH cop resigns in lieu of termination after woman alleges he hit on her & masturbated in cruiser [0] http://bit.ly/mbKgRs

Tavares FL settles suit for $25k to woman arrested for wet t-shirt after splashed at water park & not having ID [0] http://bit.ly/kIGWFU

Maui HI cop arrested for theft on allegations that he kept firearm turned in to police for himself [0] http://bit.ly/kTyPxP

North Myrtle Beach SC spent $47k for lawyers in failed bid to keep dashcam video of incident that led to cop being fired a secret [4] http://bit.ly/l0gHH0

Cripple Creek CO police officer accidentally tasers dispatcher in leg while playing around with his taser [0] http://bit.ly/m6skqr

Orleans MA cop disciplined after detained, but not arrested, by state trooper on suspicion of DUI & erratic driving [1] http://bit.ly/jv5niY

Massachusetts state trooper under investigation for detaining Orleans MA cop but not charging him in DUI incident [2] http://bit.ly/jv5niY

4 RCMP mounties in BC face breach of trust & obstruction charges after probe into improper affair w/murder witness [1] http://bit.ly/ky2Jso

Philadelphia PA cop already facing brutality suit under investigation over her questionable MySpace pic in cop cap [0] http://bit.ly/lIKa54 Sure, I know, this is a very minor case of misconduct but it should be interesting to see if the dept disciplines her for this instead of the brutality complaint.

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.