Fairfax County Police Watch: 08/23/11

Washington State Supreme Court rules police misconduct investigation records must be made public whether the complaint was sustained or not. This is a major change in a state where police kept misconduct records hidden from the public as a matter of state law and may signal a reversal for Seattle, which is currently subject of a fed investigation, where the police union recently won a case to keep their names off misconduct reports even when they are found guilty of misconduct. [0] bit.ly/p7coDD

Assault

San Juan County NM deputy cost that county $250,000 in a lawsuit settlement to a Native American man that he beat in the face and neck with his department-issued Maglight [0] bit.ly/pjO1jJ

Jasper TX cop allegedly responsible for 28% of that department’s use of force incidents was fired over 2 alleged excessive force incidents this month [0] bit.ly/qfHrVe

Philadelphia PA police are accused of excessive force by beating a “partially” blind man & tasering a bystander who refused to leave his own porch [3] bit.ly/qVyJuw

Seattle WA cop subject of suit alleging he tasered & falsely arrested a man and his brother on unwarranted bank robbery charges in revenge for flirting w/woman he dated [3] bit.ly/ow9O6b

Monroeville OH cop accused for assaulting Huron Co OH deputy at his home, both officers on paid leave [1] bit.ly/pPlKhf

Tuscon AZ cop arrested on DUI, agg assault & endangerment charges after car accident that injured 3 people [0] bit.ly/qTxjaM

Pennsylvania State trooper sentenced to 2-23mo prison for assaulting Humane Society police officer at pizza shop [0] bit.ly/q2soxs

Houston TX cop given indefinite suspension (fired) for punching cuffed suspect on video after chase [0] bit.ly/okmhPr

Gwinnett Co GA cop gets probation in no contest plea deal for tasering a Waffle House employee as a joke [0] bit.ly/ovIrw6

Assault and threatening

Coral Springs FL cop to be fired after convicted of choking a suspect & telling him he’ll see him when he gets out [0] sunsent.nl/mXmsxF

Philadelphia PA cop arrested on agg assault, unlawful restraint & other charges in alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend [1] bit.ly/rrgO1s

Sexual assault/Rape

Ada Co ID deputy already accused of groping & harassing a woman is now accused of doing the same to a second woman. [0] bit.ly/obdywb

A drunk New York NY police officer was arrested on a sexual assault charge after a witness called 911 while seeing him rape a school teacher at gun point early in the morning. Police arrived in time find him with the victim who was able to tell them what happened. [0] http://is.gd/yEKkbj

Ontario Provincial cops accused of leaving bound rape victim tied up & untreated for 5 hours while they waited for a police photographer [3] bit.ly/nYl93g

Wrongful/false arrest

Truth or Consequences NM cop hired after fired for false reporting as deputy now facing wrongful arrest lawsuit [3] bit.ly/raDYqV

2 Glendale CA cops “released” from dept for unspecified misconduct, one subject of false arrest suit by lawyer [2] bit.ly/pyblTn

Belmont NC police sued by woman & neighbor alleging cops arrested her for complaining about them speeding out of fear for her 3yr-old child’s safety. [3] bit.ly/rdPYhn

Stalking

Haverhill MA police lt head of IA retires after caught on-duty at home of woman who filed for protection order [0] bit.ly/okaKei

Living while being an idiot

Cumberland Co NJ deputy suspended after leaving assault rifle & ammo in the road after cleaning trunk [0] bit.ly/qEJGRA

Fairfax Co VA police accused of harassing biker’s funeral procession & threatening to taser dead man’s brother [1] http://t.co/oc8lMYW

Illicit behavior

New Mexico State trooper allegedly caught on surveillance camera having sex on county property while in uniform [0] bit.ly/pONL57

Narcotics

Clark Co OH deputy arrested by fellow deputies on abuse of prescription drugs charges on unspecified allegations [1] http://t.co/Tv41U0q

Indianapolis IN cop gets probation & time served in plea deal for DUI and fraud charges involving prescriptions [0] bit.ly/qNy2l6

Philadelphia PA cop sentenced to 16yrs for plot to rob dealer & sell heroin, joins 2 others already sentenced, including his wife. [0] bit.ly/qSJXob

Harris Co TX deputy sentenced to 5yrs for accepting bribes from drug dealer in exchange for protection & police information [0] bit.ly/ouK8E4

Minneapolis MN police sgt charged w/misconduct on allegations he misused police database to get unspecified private info [1] bit.ly/nxI84t

Murder/Attempted murder

A state investigation into how an East Dublin GA cop fatally shot an unarmed man during investigation into fatally shooting of unarmed man reopened after discovered cop missed gun training [0] bit.ly/oUbyY7

Spring Lake NC settles suit for $150k to man claiming continuous harassment by police eventually led to an officer shooting him needlessly. [0] bit.ly/qLsj1c

Palmetto FL cop was arrested for Aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon on allegations the pointed an AR-15 and taser at his family and told them he could kill at any time and get away with it. [0] bit.ly/rdkU4V

Chicago IL to pay $333k in jury award to family who’s pet lab was shot to death during raid that found nothing because police filed for warrant covering both units of a duplex even though they were only really targeting the unit next door. The teen family member home during the raid asked police to let him put their dog away but the officers wouldn’t let him then shot the dog to death when it came around the corner, wagging it’s tail according to the family. [3] trib.in/qchnyU

Resisting arrest

Daytona Beach FL police detective sentenced to probation for resisting arrest in dispute when stopped for speeding on her way to where police were arresting her son. [0] thesent.nl/qtj8s8

Profiling

Peel ON police accused of profiling by a 60yr-old black man claiming a cop interrogated him in back of cruiser while she was looking for a 20yr-old suspect. [2] bit.ly/pRxyIB

Los Angeles Co CA sheriff’s dept subject of DOJ probe into allegations of discrimination against section8 residents [0] lat.ms/mOuSoe

Tupelo MS subject of unspecified DOJ investigation into police hiring practices, officials refuse to say why [2] bit.ly/nEzbtE

Child endangerment/soliciting sex

Radcliff KY cop among 26 arrested in child predator sting, allegedly solicited sex from cop posing as 14yr-old [0] thesent.nl/p7ajeu

Perjury

Marlow OK cop gets suspended sentence in plea to perjury in case where the prosecutor stopped a drug trial & the judge had him charged with lying under oath [0] bit.ly/r7PekT

Drunk

Chemung Co NY deputy was speeding & didn’t maintain lane in crash that killed him & another motorist [0] bit.ly/pVrS49

Portland OR cop on desk duty after arrested on DUI, attempting to elude & reckless endangerment charges [1] bit.ly/pDWyzx

Indianapolis IN cop arrested on drunk driving charges after crashing his police cruiser into a parked car while off duty [0] bit.ly/o1d0Qf

Kelleys Island OH cop arrested on drunk driving charges after head-on crash into female motorist, tested .208 BAC [0] bit.ly/raMlaD

Kidnap

Davidson Co TN sheriff’s dept loses suit for $200k to woman on immigration hold left shackled to bed while giving birth [1] bit.ly/ris3Fc

Denver CO police criticized for cuffing 8yr-old autistic kid over outburst then escorting him to hospital where he was forced to wait in ER for 5 days on a mental health hold even though he already was in treatment for autism [3] bit.ly/mQIPeB

Fraud

Kingston NY now-retired detective arrested on multiple charges after audit finds he submitted fake transcripts to get stipend while he was a cop [0] http://t.co/YpMB6q7

New Orleans LA cop charged w/216 counts for writing fake seatbelt violation tickets to collect extra pay from fed grant that pays cops to write those kinds of tickets. [0] bit.ly/pMBknq

Forgery

Brownsville TX cop suspended after indicted for forgery, theft & official repression for stealing 2 cars from public auction [0] bit.ly/pkjIYW

Political espionage

Boston MA police sued by ACLU & other groups trying to force them to reveal what their policy is for how they gather surveillance of activists and political groups [4] bit.ly/o1YsI3

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.