Fairfax County Police Watch: 12/22/11

The reason we have a police problem in America. Fairfax County Police.

Seattle WA cops shown on video mocking jogger who was critically injured after struck by semi-truck [3] bit.ly/s0YatO

The Officer Jeffrey Hand Award for Creative Income Production. Fairfax County Police

Detroit MI cop charged for stealing $14k from funds for families of fallen officers, other accused of check padding [0] bit.ly/tZLH89

Union City TN cop arrested on false report & insurance fraud charges involving an ATV he reported stolen [0] bit.ly/seZRla

Washington DC cop convicted of attempting to receive stolen property after caught in a sting operation [0] wapo.st/u2kiss

Mass Bay Transit Auth MA cop suspended after caught mailing dead rats to a man who didn’t pay escorts that the officer was allegedly protecting and providing transportation for. [0] cbsloc.al/utk4n8

Shelby Co TN deputy sentenced to 2yrs for lying to a judge and fellow officers in an effort to get an inmate out of jail [0] bit.ly/tTwf1K

Warren AR cop arrested on abuse of public trust for allegedly seeking and accepting bribes to fix tickets [0] bit.ly/uhiJUr

The officer Walter R. Fasci/ Sean McGlone award for sober living. Fairfax County Police.

Memphis TN cop accused of selling painkillers while on duty arrested after trying to purchase mass amount of pot [0] bit.ly/sI32nf

Vigo Co IN deputy arrested on allegations he was illegally obtaining painkillers, sometimes while on duty [0] bit.ly/vXkvaL

Lorain OH cop suspended after arrested for suspicion of DUI following off-duty crash into parked utility van [0] bit.ly/uvFZaY

Plainview TX narcotics officer indicted on felony theft, forgery & official misconduct charges [0] bit.ly/rA0oHt

Earlville IL cop charged w/selling pot while on duty takes plea deal to reduced official misconduct charge [0] bit.ly/uGBgze

This week’s candidates for the Brian Sonnenberg Peaceful Resolution to Conflict Center Award. Fairfax County Police

Pendleton WA police officer on administrative leave while investigated for his role in an alleged off-duty bar fight [1] bit.ly/rylQap

Daytona Beach FL cop was cited for disorderly conduct after swearing at cops when he kicked out of an hotel when police responded to a noise complaint[0] bit.ly/vALSzZ

Officer David Scott Ziants Award for Citizen Motivation. Fairfax County Police

Fresno CA cop found to have used excessive force in mixed civil jury verdict for fatal shooting of unarmed man [0] http://bit.ly/rwKcGX

Riverside Co CA deputy held for questioning after admitting to fatally shooting man in bar following a dispute. Witnesses cited in a different article described the incident as malicious violence. [1] http://bit.ly/vDKyrg

Seattle WA independent review of officer-involved shooting incidents last year resulted in similar findings as the recent DOJ probe that the city and department refuted until today when those additional findings were released as well. Interestingly, the mayor did an about-face and is promising to implement reforms immediately… we’re not holding our breath just yet though, the problems in Seattle are systemic and cultural, reinforced by decades of city officials being too afraid of the police union to implement any meaningful changes. Unfortunately, failed promises of reform are nothing new in this town. [0] bit.ly/tJeQbK

Gladstone OR cop fired for unspecified “serious allegations” of misconduct unrelated to a murder for hire plot that he/she is under investigation for [2] bit.ly/vkf7zL

The officer Christian Chamberlain Award for “Fuck you, I’ll get away with it anyway” Fairfax County police

Radical Failure: A Transmetropolitan View of Occupy Wall Street

Chicago IL torture cop/now convict Jon Burge subject of another lawsuit for torturing confession from innocent man [3] trib.in/svVbbJ

Oneonta NY cop fired for lying under oath after costing city $135k in excessive force lawsuit settlement [0] bit.ly/sY2Xr0

New York NY cop’s lie on stand & DA withholding knowledge of false report earns man acquital, no charge for cop [3] nyp.st/tEibXt

3 Oklahoma City OK cops accused of lying & obstructing investigations in separate cases, 2 resign [1] bit.ly/sK0e7v

Covington LA cop resigns & gets probation in plea deal for using force by choking a suspect then leaving him in a police cruiser for an excessive amount of time. [1] bit.ly/urC63S

Officer “Crazy Moe” Mohammed Oluwa Jihad's on your ass award. Fairfax County Police

Maricopa Co AZ sheriff is being sued by a woman alleging she was left shackled while in labor & during a c-section while she was in custody [3] bit.ly/vVI284

Ramsey Co MN settles a law suit for $230k to a deaf man beaten & maced during a traffic stop then denied an interpreter in jail. [0] bit.ly/sVCyMz

Des Moines IA fmr cop arrested by feds on excessive force and obstruction charges involving 2088 beating incident [0] bit.ly/sYEtAZ

2 Santa Fe NM cops fired for false reporting in an excessive force case caught on dashcam were rehired thanks to an arbitrator. [0] bit.ly/urKPld

Idiot of the Week Award… Fairfax County Police

Illinois settles last claim in trooper’s fatal 126mph crash while emailing, for $700k, total settlements near $9mil [0] bit.ly/sSMDAZ

Canton OH cop is being investigated after being photographed while sleeping in his cruiser by a man who was trying to get his attention to help a nearby crash victim [0] bit.ly/rU63nb

Chicago IL is being sued by man after his car was struck by a cop driving the wrong way on one-way street without his lights or siren activated. [3] bit.ly/uGdvwc

Broward Co FL deputy staring in tv show about K9 officers is now the subject of federal criminal investigation into unspecified record falsification allegations. [2] bit.ly/sBEsEz

Creepy Cop Behavior

Warren Twp OH cop sentenced to 3yrs on burglary & abduction charges for breaking into woman’s home, restraining her [0] bit.ly/uVpWBl

Milwaukee WI asst police chief suspended during unspecified investigation after stopped by cops in bad part of town [3] bit.ly/vGn1Af

Orange Co FL deputy arrested on allegations he molested and groped a disabled woman while on duty [0] bit.ly/vSBnwt

If Walmart would hire these people we would not have a police problem in America. Fairfax County Police

Fullerton CA criticized for appointing a captain as the police chief despite his last position being in charge of that troubled department’s most problematic division. [3] bit.ly/vWdDoG

Golden Valley MN has disbanded their human rights commission because their findings recommending reforms after incidents of police misconduct might cost that city money and encourage lawsuits… Welcome to Golden Valley, where they value your money more than your life or your rights. [5] bit.ly/vgCujQ

Minneapolis MN police chief gets no confidence from board 3 yrs in row, enforces discipline in only 18 of 142 cases [3] bit.ly/uawxGk

This weeks child molestation by your local police. Fairfax County Police

Harrison Co TX deputy’s initial arrest on an indecency with a child charge has spurred another alleged victim to come forward, resulting in an additional indecency w/child charge. [0] bit.ly/sQjnZE

Waite Hill OH cop arrested on unlawful sexual conduct with a minor charge for alleged sex acts with 14yr-old boy [1] bit.ly/ubFNvN

Rayville LA cop arrested on felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile charges involving a 15yr-old girl [1] tnsne.ws/u1b08E

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.