Fairfax County Police Watch: 11/13/11

Brought to you by the Fairfax County Police …preying on the people to turn an easy buck

Murder

Washington DC settles suit for a confidential sum to the family of 14yr-old who was shot to death by two off-duty cops for allegedly stealing one of their minibikes [3] bit.ly/uVgRZt

Sûreté du Quebec police officer charged w/drunk driving after crash on highway that left a female motorist injured [0] bit.ly/svbfu5

Parker FL settles suit for $200k plus funeral expenses to the family of a woman who was murdered by her police officer ex-boyfriend on claims that the police ignored her domestic violence complaints. [0] bit.ly/sadYJa

Damn near murder

Mason Co WV sheriff was charged with wanton endangerment after 2 deputies claimed they witnessed him shot at his 13yr-old relative while he was drunk [0] bit.ly/tKxL3k

Perjury….common liar

Montreal QC police are accused of using excessive force against student protesters who were upset with tuition hikes. During the crackdown, one professor who wasn’t even a part of the protest was beaten & maced on his way to pick up his kids from daycare. [3] bit.ly/rEvUUg

2 Tulsa OK cops, 1 of which has been convicted for perjury, are the subject of a lawsuit by a man alleging they obtained several warrants against him based on intentionally falsified information. [3] bit.ly/rSF1Yl

Common thief

Downers Grove UT is being sued by man alleging a cop, now facing trial for a plot to rob a pharmacy for drugs, stole his medications during his false arrest. [3] bit.ly/vCf7Zy

Waterloo Regional ON police officer charged with obstruction of an officer & possession of stolen property [1] bit.ly/vWBzJm

Assaulting citizens and then hiding behind the law

Dallas TX cop was investigated after a 2nd video appeared to confirm he sparked a confrontation that ended in several arrests by shoving an Occupy Dallas protester off a tall planter outside of a bank. [0] bit.ly/ujysSi

San Diego Co CA sheriff says he’s investigating why dozens of arrested #OccupySanDiego protesters were left in police vans for hours, some up to half a day. [0] bit.ly/uxsbFZ

Collier County FL is being sued by a man who was jailed for 4 years before he was finally cleared of charges related to a vehicular homicide case. He claims a deputy with a history of over a dozen false arrest complaints intentionally ignored several witnesses who knew he wasn’t even driving. [3] http://bit.ly/t0L7Nk

Merrillville IN settles suit for unspecified sum to security guard choked by cop after he was asked for his ID [3] bit.ly/vfUEOb

Lake Co IN deputy faces discipline, charged w/battery, resisting arrest & battery on an officer after attacking a bouncer at a bar [0] bit.ly/rLslN7

Chicago IL police are being sued by a man claiming cops tasered him 11 times after mistaking him for a man with a similar name who had a warrant out for him. [4] bit.ly/t7EmdZ

3 New York NY cops disciplined for rough treatment of councilman & other city officials at parade [0] bit.ly/tqcrrn

Bridgeport CT cop suspended pending probe into video that appeared on web then vanished showing dispute w/woman [4] bit.ly/rSSbnY

Violating civil rights

Albuquerque NM lost a lawsuit for a $67,500 judgment over a case where cops allegedly threatened to violate a woman’s rights in effort to coerce her into letting them into her home. [0] bit.ly/vRnqw3

Bizarre racist rants

Lubbock Co TX precinct 3 constable was arrested for alleged bizarre racist rants and behavior against his neighbors in a dispute over a soccer ball. At one point he allegedly came out with a sheet over his head then later threatened them with a metal baseball bat [0] bit.ly/uKuJqy

Orange NJ cop was fired for allegedly posting multiple racially-charged rants on his Twitter account. [0] bit.ly/uwmmXP

Slappin the old wife around

Tolleson AZ police sgt charged w/DV assault, criminal damaging & disorderly conduct in dispute with his wife [0] bit.ly/tKWCgB

Port Orchard WA cop sentenced to 23yrs prison for leaving girlfriend permanently disabled by shoving her out window [0] bit.ly/rxXtBu

Warren Twp OH cop found guilty of felony burglary & abduction for breaking into his ex’s home & attacking her [0] bit.ly/sLs3ed

Dealing dope

Wadesboro NC cop suspended while investigated for improper disposal of meth lab parts that were allegedly found by a relative [0] bit.ly/vwCdVV

Drunk/ Drugs

Richwood WV police chief fired for unspecified reasons, mayor will only say “it’s a personnel matter” [3] bit.ly/vfUE9V

Sandoval Co NM deputy suspended 30 days for alleged drunken IHOP dine & dash at 4 in the morning [0] http://bit.ly/t9zN1q

Hit, run and cover up…I’m telling, if Walmart was hiring we wouldn’t have these problems

New Orleans LA police wrongfully cited pedestrian hit by cop, then cover it up when victim’s video contradicts cops [4] bit.ly/rB7VWW

Here’s proof; they don’t hire cops for their high IQs, they hire them because they’ll stay in the job

New York NY cop under investigation after photos of suicide victims & videos of detainees ended up on the internet from her photobucket account. [0] bit.ly/vZTQwL

Miami FL cop gets reprimand for pulling over trooper in retaliation for other trooper stopping a speeding Miami cop [0] bit.ly/vBeucV

2 West Covina CA cops investigated for using patrol cars & uniforms to make funny video spoofing police harassment [0] bit.ly/uvZFXY

Yoakum Co TX deputy arrested for abusing his position by sharing information with the subject of a warrant that he allegedly partied with. [0] bit.ly/rQD8eb

Threatening and then hiding behind the law

El Paso Co TX deputy investigated for allegedly threatening to arrest former paramedic for helping accident victim [2] bit.ly/s4AGJ5

Sexual assault harassment

Ontario Provincial Police officer charged with sexual assault of an employee at an OPP work location [0] bit.ly/tOwwT1

Swisher Co TX sheriff resigns after investigation launched into alleged sexual harassment complaints [1] bit.ly/rZWhfC

lack of integrity

King Co WA deputy fired for lack of integrity & misuse of auth after 22 investigations & 26 findings of misconduct [0] bit.ly/vUJRoz

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.