Fairfax County Police Watch: 03/05/12

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

Kansas City MO cop cited for assault for attacking estranged wife and man who was with her, threatened them w/knife [0] bit.ly/yQZJRO

Round Rock TX cop suspended & charged w/criminal mischief after wife filed complaint alleging family violence [0] bit.ly/AoZZkr

Long Beach CA cop to face trial on 18 felonies for alleged series of assaults on his wife [0] bit.ly/w7pyu3

West Warwick RI cop arrested on disorderly conduct & assault charges over incident with wife & other individual [1] bit.ly/ycTkvS

Louisville KY cop was arrested on multiple charges for allegedly threatening his girlfriend with a gun then beating her as he forced her to drive somewhere the next day. She was eventually able to escape and report her allegations to the police. [0] bit.ly/yBWUZl

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

San Francisco CA police & federal agencies sued by elderly couple over $200k missing after fruitless raid on home [3] bit.ly/xsQYao

•3 New York NY cops plead guilty to scheme using their position as cops to run guns across state lines [0] nyti.ms/ym86NQ

Gauley Bridge WV, population 614, police department has been the subject of a state investigation for a year for issuing over 6,000 traffic citations in 4 years, which is more than any other city or town in the state and accounts for over half that small town’s income. [3] http://wvgazette.com/News/201202280269

Ouachita Parish LA sheriff & sheriff’s major arrested on computer fraud & ID theft charges after FBI agents served a search warrant at the sheriff’s department a few nths ago. [0] townta.lk/ySp2jx

Nolensville TN cop indicted on extortion charges for accepting payments in exchange for not making arrests [0] tnne.ws/xmjIui

Clarendon Hills IL cop sentenced to probation in plea deal for stealing firearms received from gun turn-in program [0] bit.ly/wGKaG9

Plantation FL cop sentenced to 3 years in plea deal over his role in a $16mil mortgage fraud scheme [0] bit.ly/x1V6t7

New Orleans LA cop indicted on conspiracy & theft of fed funds charges for alleged homeless program scam [0] bit.ly/zX9zHG

El Paso TX cop suspended after feds & local police execute search warrant on his home in fraud investigation [1] bit.ly/ySThQC

Santa Clara CA cop sentenced to 3yrs prison for leaking confidential police info to Hells Angels to pay off debt [0] bit.ly/xgyMz5

Honolulu HI cop gets deferred sentence in plea deal for record tampering charges in overtime scam scandal [0] bit.ly/yIqIoM

Louisa VA cop was arrested on a felony misrepresentation charge on allegations he embezzled thousands of dollars, though the report doesn’t specify where he stole them from. [1] bit.ly/zObeNb

Fairfax County Police Officer Larry A. Jackson award for false arrest. Fairfax County Police. Police brutality

El Centro CA police sgt is the subject of a lawsuit by a woman claiming he falsely arrested her, illegally strip searched and groped her [3] bit.ly/wrNkFx

Harrisburg PA settle suit for a little over $2,000 to a woman claiming she was fasely arrested after a domestic dispute while she was pregnant. She says she was forced to settle because she could no longer afford to pay her lawyer to keep the lawsuit going and likely won’t see any of that money after paying her current lawyer’s fees. [3] http://bit.ly/yC5mzY

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

Lake City SC cop arrested on assault & official misconduct charges for allegedly beating a DUI suspect [1] bit.ly/zFaHGK

Sparta WI settles suit for $25k to man claiming cops searched his business in retaliation for his criticism of cops [4] http://bit.ly/wac9r2

Chico CA cop faces battery chage after man claims officer punched him at casino while off duty [0] bit.ly/yZzH67

•Springfield MA cop was found guilty on assault & battery charges for beating a man with his flashlight on video. [0] bit.ly/w6OrMA

•Springfield MA police were also admonished by a judge for allegedly deleting cell phone video of another alleged excessive force case where that judge has to decide whether or not to dismiss the charges filed against that alleged victim. [4] bit.ly/w3BSCp

•Miami Co KS deputy arrested on 2 misdemeanor counts of battery & 2 counts of mistreatment of a prisoner in an unspecified incident(s) [3] http://bit.ly/w3jWR2

•Belleville ON cop suspended w/o pay while facing assault charges over an unspecified on-duty incident [2] bit.ly/wWtDEV

•New York NY police & prosecutor sued by man claiming a 3-year-long failed prosecution effort was based on lies by 3 cops [3] nyp.st/y0GULl

Providence RI cop ordered by jury to pay $17k civil judgment to gas station clerk he assaulted while on duty [0] bit.ly/wrZqxa

Brooksville FL cop fired for gross negligence for behavior while under investigation on unspecified allegations [1] bit.ly/x5vuYL

Valley City ND cop suspended while investigated on unspecified allegations of excessive force at security job [3] bit.ly/AyhGLy

Fairfax County Police Officer David Ziants award for kill somebody and the worst thing that happens to you is you get fired after the department covers up for you

•St Louis MO police sued after 9 witnesses claim cop shot an unarmed man and continued to shoot him to death while he laid on the ground bleeding then planted a gun to cover it up. While some of the witnesses were related to the victim, others weren’t and three other witnesses allegedly contradicted r portions of the officer’s report. [3] bit.ly/yZC

Fairfax County Police Officer Amanda Perry award for Safe Driving. Fairfax County Police. Police brutality

•Spokane WA backs out of agreement to re-hire cop fired for DUI hit&run crash after public outcry about the deal [0] bit.ly/xnnzdz

•Charleston SC cop suspended after allegedly threatening cop who arrested him on DUI charge [0] bit.ly/wu8SQP

•New York NY cop was charged with drunk driving for crashing his police cruiser while on duty after attending a fund raiser for a fallen cop [0] nyti.ms/wpUiNB

•Floyd Co GA cop arrested on drunk driving charge after backing into vehicle while leaving parking spot [0] bit.ly/x40mB5

•Montgomery TX cop was fired for failing to give the former mayor a citation for driving while intoxicated, then letting him drive home [0] bit.ly/xtoTMI

Wilder KY police chief arrested on drunk driving charge during traffic stop initiated following citizen complaint [0] bit.ly/xuAcc2

•West Chicago IL cop sued for shooting at a car full of unarmed teens in an alleged road rage incident, injuring one of them. [4] trib.in/xmAh1X

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

•Winn Parish LA sheriff was convicted on conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute charges. [0] bit.ly/AumljF

•Trumann AR police chief resigns after internal investigation alleges he stole between 500-600 pills from evidence [0] bit.ly/xtiIWF

Chicago IL cop charged w/placing a false police call to escape DUI stop, no word on why it took 1yr to charge him [4] bit.ly/wNQUxk

•San Benito Co CA deputy arrested on suspicion of DUI after allegedly crashing patrol car but dept won’t confirm [2] bit.ly/wuxQ6x

•Emery Co UT deputy pleads guilty to 7 felony & 1 misd charges for stealing drugs from evidence before he resigned [0] ow.ly/1HfZ5F

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.