Fairfax County Police Watch: “It’s becoming a disturbingly familiar scene in America

Washington DC police sued by mom of teen fatally shot in back, cops say he had BB gun, witnesses contradict [3] http://bit.ly/Ipxihs

Chicago IL & 4 cops lose $1.15mil in suit by family of trucker who died from crash injuries the family claims were ignored while he was detained by cops for too long. [0] http://trib.in/IA0ZeT

St Louis MO settles suit for unspecified sum to man shot by drunk off duty cop while trying to stop bar brawl [2] http://bit.ly/I1HTA7

Kansas City MO settles suit for $1mil to truck driver shot by cop walking out of donut shop during diabetic episode [0] http://bit.ly/IiTM8k

3 Zion IL cops subject of suit for hitting pregnant woman & kids w/pepperspray during man’s false arrest at BBQ [3] http://bit.ly/IiUemU

US Border Patrol agent and his girlfriend charged w/conspiracy to buy firearms & ammo to smuggle into Mexico [0] http://bit.ly/IwckRH

Honolulu HI cop arrested on multiple drug charges for allegedly growing marijuana & possessing 1lb of marijuana [0] http://bit.ly/Hz2oHU

Louisville KY cop w/history investigated after caught on cellphone camera slapping a cuffed teen during arrest [1] http://bit.ly/HwAmHt

7 Clarkstown NY cops subject of suit by man claiming they beat him on video during a false arrest at a bar [3] http://lohud.us/HwzzpY

UC Davis CA report faults dysfunctional dept in pepperspray case where now-infamous Lt Pike used an unauthorized large type of pepperspray canister unnecessarily [0] http://bit.ly/HCnraL

New Orleans LA cop sentenced to 20mo prison for lying about Katrina shooting death at Convention Center [0] http://bit.ly/HwAwP9

Bakersfield CA police dog attacked and injured the Kern Co CA sheriff’s ex-wife while police served a drug warrant on sheriff’s son and released their dog when they thought nobody was home. [0] http://bit.ly/IUdelT

Toronto ON cop faulted by court for routinely arresting people before investigating to see what he could charge them with [3] http://bit.ly/HCosj2

Cincinnati OH cop indicted on bribery, theft & record tampering over illegal immigrant extortion allegations [1] http://bit.ly/HCo0Bp

Skiatook OK cop charged with perjury, resigned in January in investigation involving car chase [1] http://bit.ly/IUcygc

Spokane WA cop under investigation after 8yr-old daughter shot herself in the leg with his duty weapon [1] http://bit.ly/IUceyc

Fruitland Park FL cop resigns, other faces discipline for allegedly bribing informant to lie in drug case [0] http://bit.ly/HwzNNG

Pittsburgh PA police sued by road rage cop victim claiming dept failed to discipline him after prior outbursts [3] http://bit.ly/HwznXD

Carbon Co UT sheriff’s capt resigns after charged with vandalizing 3 vehicles, including 2 gov. cars, at auto shop [0] http://bit.ly/IUed5A

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.