Fairfax County Police Watch: 03/06/12

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

Benson NC cop gets probation in reduced charge plea deal for obstruction & larceny, stole money from dept [0] bit.ly/yLA8o8

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

New York NY police are being sued by the dad of an unarmed teen who was recently shot to death by a cop in a high profile incident. However, this suit involves allegations of excessive force and questionable raids that heppened to him before that fatal shooting incident. [4] nydn.us/yACjIZ

orleans Parish LA deputy questioned after giving conflicting stories about how she fatally shot estranged husband [0] bit.ly/yOcCNO

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

5 Springfield MA cops are the subject of a lawsuit alleging that they beat a man for filming a violent arrest then arrested both him & his wife on false charges that were later dismissed by a judge. [5] http://bit.ly/w74rzU

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

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

4 Manchester NH cops are the subject of a lawsuit alleging that they needlessly beat a man so badly outside a bar while off duty that doctors had to put metal plates in his face to repair the damage. [4] bit.ly/yB4Aok

Henderson NV cop who recently cost that city $300k for kicking a motorist who was suffering from diabetic shock was also the subject of multiple credible perjury complaints just before that incident but he’s still on duty and won’t be facing criminal charges over any incidents. [4] bit.ly/w796d7

Daytona Beach FL to settle suit for $100k to woman badly bitten by police dog while she was taking a smoke break behind the restaurant she worked at. [0] bit.ly/xYn3Ld

4 Pasco WA cops sued alleging they broke paralyzed man’s leg at traffic stop when they dragged him from car on video[3] bit.ly/A2YqdC

Virginia Beach VA cop arrested for stabbing 2 firefighters rescuing him from crash then firing gun before leaving [0] bit.ly/zj3J4W

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

Manaplan NJ cop was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to DUI charges over a crash that seriously injured a corrections officer who was on his way to work. [0] bit.ly/A1GttK

Albuquerque NM cop is under investigation after patrons at a bowling alley called police when they saw his cruiser parked outside and him sitting inside drinking beer with a young child with him. [0] bit.ly/yH1ycV

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

Lorain OH cop was cited for failing to stop at a stop sign in an on-duty crash in his patrol car that left another motorist injured. [0] bit.ly/zzHtBX

Woonsocket RI cop w/criminal record arrested on driving while intoxicated charge in unspecified incident [3] bit.ly/y06zgM

Mount Pleasant SC police major arrested on DUI charge after flipping his jeep in single vehicle accident [0] bit.ly/zs7i2K

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

Dubque Co IA deputy charged with burglary & stalking after threatening his ex-wife’s boyfriend & damaging his boat. [0] bit.ly/Alnv8z

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.