Fairfax County Police, where getting with murder means a larger budget

Give this clerk a medal

Police Union President Demanding Boycott after Officer is Denied Service

The President of Broward County’s largest police union has called for a national boycott of Sunoco gas stations following an incident during which a uniformed officer from the Miramar Police Department was refused service by the sales clerk at one of the company’s locations.

“On a day when three officers are slain in Baton Rouge, La., and a fourth is fighting for his life, how can anyone deny service to a uniformed police officer?” said Broward County PBA President Jeff Marano.

In his incident report, the officer, who was wearing his full police uniform,  said that on Monday, he walked into the Sunoco Gas Station located at 1700 S Douglas Road around 2 p.m., and as he was attempting to get a drink from the refrigerated area, a black male, wearing a gray shirt with gray pants, walked up to him and asked why they arrested his “boy”. He asked the man who he was referring to, to which he said, “Ya’ll got my boy in the back of that car outside the gas station.”

The officer told him that the man was arrested and he couldn’t give him any further information. The man then walked away.

The officer then proceeded to walk towards the cashier in order to pay for his drink. The same individual that walked up to him earlier was standing behind the cash register without a name tag and closed his cashier’s window.  The officer then knocked on it in order to get his attention, however, the man looked at him and didn’t say anything. The officer asked, “Hey can you ring me up? I need to pay for my Gatorade.” The man then stated “No.” The officer asked him what he meant. The man said that he wouldn’t ring him up and said, “You know why.”

The officer asked him again to ring him up, and the man once again refused.

During the same time, the man said, “Get out of my way, I need to attend to customers.” The officer looked behind him and there was a line of four people trying to pay for their items. He moved out of the way, so they could pay, and after they were done, he again asked to pay, and was once again refused.

He then asked the man for his name and his manager or boss’s name, and he replied that he doesn’t have to give out his name or his boss’s name. The officer asked why he was refusing to ring up a police officer trying to buy a drink, to which he answered, “Because I don’t have to, that’s why.”

Marano is demanding the immediate termination of the Sunoco employee, however, a police search for the owner’s information was met with negative results. 

Be careful. This program is a sham.

Be careful. This program is a sham. If the cops suspect they screwed up on a domestic violence case, the “Advocates” allow them to sit in on meetings with the victims.

Domestic violence victims use Fairfax Co. program to find help

FAIRFAX, Va. — New figures show that over the past year, domestic violence victims have been using a program in Fairfax County, Virginia, that is meant to help provide victims withpotentially lifesaving services.

Under the Lethality Assessment Program — launched in July 2015 — police officers who respond to domestic violence incidents sit down with victims and ask them a series of questions about their situation. Victims deemed to be in a “high-danger” situation are then given the option of talking on the phone with a victim advocate who can give them more information about what to do and where to go to receive services they may need to stay safe.

“The program is intended to connect victims immediately with victim advocates upon the scene of a law enforcement incident,” said Sandy Bromley, the countywide domestic violence coordinator.

According to new figures, police have dealt with 555 high-danger victims since the program began, or about 46 every month. When given the option to do so, 80 percent of the victims agreed to speak with an advocate.

“When victims engage in those services, they are safer,” Bromley said.

The program has also shed light on the severity of such situations, with 51 percent of high-danger victims saying they believed their offender might try to kill them.

“Domestic violence in Fairfax County is a big problem,” said Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler.

He added, “We are just blessed that every single Fairfax County police officer, along with our advocates, has embraced this program and we have made a difference.”

Sharon Bulova sells out the people of Fairfax County AGAIN

Fairfax County: Support for Police Auditor, Civilian Review Panel

Supervisors discuss independent oversight recommendations from Ad Hoc Commission.

By Tim Peterson

Neither the independent auditor nor civilian review panel would conduct an independent investigation of the complaint, but would refer the case to the Chief of Police and he to the Internal Affairs Bureau for investigation. Or as Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova put it: “It’s another portal complaints can come from.”

Details of an independent auditor for Fairfax County police and a civilian panel to review cases of alleged FCPD abuse of authority or misconduct are still being hammered out. However there was general agreement among County Supervisors at the July 19 Public Safety Committee meeting that they are in favor of moving forward with the recommendations from the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission to create both entities for accountability.

The meeting was held to discuss the recommendations from the commission’s Independent Oversight and Investigations subcommittee so that a formal board matter accepting them can be drawn up in time for a vote this fall.

Public Safety Committee chair Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) opened the meeting with a moment of silence, and then a perspective on the need for reforms to aspects of the County’s policing.

 “We need to be bringing people together,” Cook said. “How do we further connect the community and our law enforcement, have that dialogue.”

In reference to creating a civilian review panel, Cook added Fairfax County would “do what other jurisdictions are doing, and hopefully do it better.”

TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW of independent and civilian review of law enforcement, Independent Monitor Nicholas Mitchell with the City and County of Denver Office of the Independent Monitor spoke to the crowded Fairfax County Government Center conference room. Mitchell also spoke as a board member of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

 “There’s the proposition as citizens we’re obligated to ensure powers are being consistent with the Constitution and our system of laws,” Mitchell said. “And the proposition with granting of power, comes respect and accountability to the community.”

Mitchell said there is no one model for civilian review boards, and that most large cities and an increasing number of medium and smaller-size cities are forming them. Some are formed preemptively, others in the wake of critical incidents involving police.

Jack Johnson, chair of the Independent Oversight subcommittee, reviewed the recommendations word for word. He explained they were voted through unanimously, including the representatives from law enforcement and FCPD.

Under the recommendations, independent oversight of Fairfax County Police would be undertaken by an independent auditor and civilian panel. The auditor would handle use of force cases that resulted in death or serious injury. The civilian panel would look at other alleged FCPD abuse of authority or misconduct. Residents could bring a complaint directly to the Civilian Review Panel, which would refer the case to the FCPD for investigation.

In each case, the reviewing party would not conduct an independent investigation of the complaint, but would refer the case to the Chief of Police and he to the Internal Affairs Bureau for investigation.

Or as Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova put it: “It’s another portal complaints can come from.”

Fairfax County Chief of Police Edwin Roessler said the recommendations are fully supported by his department. Roessler embraced independent oversight as an important part of trust with the community. “We’re on the same page. There is no conflict,” he said.

Det. Sean Corcoran, president of the Fairfax Coalition of Police Local 5000 and a member of the Ad Hoc Commission, said despite the unanimous commission vote for an auditor and civilian review board, there are more details that need to be taken into account before moving forward with the recommendation.

 “There’s concern about fiscal costs,” Corcoran said. “Our internal affairs is strapped as it is right now.”

The Supervisors reviewed a draft job description for the auditor, who would be a full-time County employee, and language that would formally set the scope, organization and process of the Police Civilian Review Panel.

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) echoed Corcoran in calling for the group to take more time dealing with the “devil in the details” rather than rushing forward with the recommendations.

 “Can we get there in a fiscally responsible way?” Herrity asked. “What’s this going to cost us? In distraction? Time taken? Someone needs to make some estimates.”

Herrity questioned whether both an auditor and civilian review panel were necessary, and if there might be a better way to “get transparency without creating bureaucracy.”

Randy Sayles of Oak Hill was a member of Ad Hoc Commission Use of Force subcommittee and attended the majority of the full meetings. He sat in the front row of Tuesday’s meeting.

Sayles said he thought the day’s discussion did a “good job” capturing the work of the commission on independent oversight.

With regard to the composition of the civilian review panel, Sayles said he would like to see language requiring a law enforcement representative have a seat at the table. They could be retired, just not from Fairfax County.

 “To speak up and give that perspective,” he said would be an important addition. “That’s a recommendation I’m standing by to this day.”

The next Public Safety Committee meeting is scheduled for Sep. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center, located at 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax.

Hello

Almost

When men gather.....

Here, look at this............

This a fucking lie made up by the cops to see if it would fly

Outpouring of support from community to police

EST

LEESBURG, VA. (WUSA9) - The fatal shootings of three officers in Baton Rouge yesterday has promoted Fairfax County Police in Reston to postpone a public event tonight called Cops on a Corner.

But, police stations everywhere are seeing support from the community. 

People have been showering the Leesburg Police Department with gifts and cards.

They've given  flowers, bottles of waters, boxes of donuts,  even a cake.

"It's non-stop," said Lt. Jeff Dube, public information officer with Leesburg Police.  He  says the support makes them feel better about coming in and doing their jobs  knowing the public appreciates them and "has our back."

The gifts started coming in after the fatal shootings of five officers in Dallas and more sentiments came in today since the three officers were killed in Baton Rouge on Sunday.

The largest gift to the Leesburg police department came in Monday.  It's a $1000 anonymous gift to a local seafood restaurant...to be split into gift cards for Leesburg's 70 officers.

The police tragedies, on both sides, highlight the importance of the Junior Police Camp which Leesburg has been holding it for years.

Master Police Officer Russ Bolden says the kids see them as normal people, dads, brothers, sons, daughters.  He hopes those connections will carry through into their adult lives.

Linnea Delhoyo has made sure each of her kids come to the camp.   She said that she know police care for them, and wants her children to care about them.

Just… don’t make eye contact

Alarming Racial, Disciplinary Data in Use of Force Report

Blacks make up only 8 percent of the population, but 41 percent of the subject in use of force incidents, says Fairfax County Police report.

Burke, VA

By Skip Wood (Patch Staff) - July 19, 2016 7:18 pm ET

A study released Monday by the Fairfax County Police Department examining use of force by police shows that of of 539 such incidents examined in 2015, only one resulted in disciplinary action -- a verbal warning.

But the study, done in part because of the fatal shooting of John Greer by police while standing in the doorway of his home in 2013, also revealed a more eye-opening bit of data.

Namely, that black suspects accounted for 41 percent of the use-of-force incidents, compared to 52 percent being white and 4 percent being Hispanic.

Black residents make up just 8 percent of the county's population.

In a statement Tuesday, the police department noted, "The data sets are intended to engage a discussion between the great community we serve and the leadership of the Department as we continue to re-engineer our use of force training, policies, and culture."

Among other findings:

•           Residents had no weapons in 98 percent of the incidents.

•           Police fired a gun just once in the incidents.

•           Physical contact was the most common type of force.

In the Greer case, former Fairfax cop Adam Torres was sentenced in June to a year in jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Fairfax police release use of force data as board takes up civilian oversight

 By Max Smith | @amaxsmithJuly 19, 2016 5:15 am

Fairfax County police have not identified a suspect or motive in the death of Tarreece Sampson (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

WASHINGTON — As Fairfax County leaders prepare to take up new civilian oversight for police in the wake of the 2013 shooting of John Geer in the doorway of his Springfield home, the police department has released information about more recent use of force incidents and the racial disparities in whom that force is used against.

Of 539 use of force incidents investigated by at least one supervisor in 2015, a new report released late Monday shows 57 proceeded to administrative investigations. In one of those cases, a use of force violation was found, and the report shows that an oral reprimand was issued.

Police say the use of force in 2015 was predominantly against males, with just 89 of the 539 incidents involving females. The report says 282 of the incidents (52 percent) involved subjects police identified as white, 222 subjects identified as black (41 percent), 18 identified as Hispanic (4 percent) and 17 identified as Asian (3 percent).

Only 8 percent of Fairfax County’s 1.1 million residents are estimated to be black, 16 percent are estimated to be Hispanic and 63 percent are estimated to be white.

Reflecting the demographics of the department as a whole, the officers involved in use of force incidents were largely white men, representing 740 of the 985 officers involved in incidents. Of sworn Fairfax County police officers, 83 percent are white, 7 percent are black and 5 percent identify as Hispanic.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee will take up recommendations for increased civilian oversight of the police department issued by a commission formed after a police officer shot and killed Geer and information in the case was slow to emerge.

The committee, which all board members typically attend, has a draft document before it that would create a new, independent police officer who would report to the Board of Supervisors in cases of police use of force that lead to serious injury or death, and a new civilian review panel that would respond to community concerns about “alleged incidents of abuse of authority.” The draft document would not endorse the recommendation for an ongoing police commission like the one formed in the wake of Geer’s death.

That draft is far from final, though, as several supervisors expressed concerns about some of the recommendations last week.

Supervisor John Cook, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said the Tuesday meeting should focus on what the civilian oversight panel would be responsible for, and how members would be appointed.

In addition to members of the commission that made the recommendations, representatives from the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement are expected to be included in the meeting to offer advice.

Supervisor Pat Herrity was among those raising financial concerns about the cost of parallel oversight between the auditor and review commission.

“I’m trying to figure a way to get the transparency we’re looking for and the review we’re looking for without creating two new bureaucracies instead of one,” Herrity said at the board’s meeting last week.

In the separate police department report released Monday, the agency said the largest number of disciplinary actions last year were tied to operation of police vehicles. Only six officers resigned or were fired in connection with disciplinary actions: one for custody of property, one over ethics and integrity, one for insubordination and three over standard of conduct.

The most use of force reports came out of the Mount Vernon (87) and Mason districts (85), followed by the McLean District (64) and Criminal Investigations Bureau (61).

Separate from use of force incidents, the report also includes information on the recorded demographic breakdowns of “field contacts,” in which officers interact with people in the community in matters such as complaints, suspicious people or vehicles, or warning tickets.

In those instances, the department said, about two-thirds of the interactions were with males while one-third were with females. Two-thirds of the interactions were with people officers identified as white, 25 percent with people officers identified as black, 5 percent with people officers identified as Asian and 2 percent with people officers identified as Hispanic.

Fairfax County favors independent police reviews amid concern over black arrests

The Washington Post July 19th, 2016

Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors on Tuesday signaled support for creating more civilian scrutiny of instances where officers use force, a day after a report revealed that African Americans in the county are disproportionately affected in such cases.

Proposals to create a civilian review panel for police abuse investigations and to hire an independent auditor in cases involving death or serious injury stem from recommendations made by a police advisory commission created in response to controversy over the 2013 fatal shooting of an unarmed Caucasian man.

However, tensions nationwide over how African Americans are treated by the police spilled into a Tuesday meeting about the proposals, which the county board will likely vote on in the fall.

"Black lives matter!" an activist shouted, while others held signs that referred to the report released this week that showed more than 40 percent of use-of-force cases in the county last year involved African Americans, who represent about 8 percent of Fairfax's population of 1.1 million residents.

Supervisor John C. Cook (R-Braddock) chaired the meeting, which started with a moment of silence to honor police officers killed this month in Dallas and Baton Rouge. At one point he threatened to have the activists kicked out.

"We won't stand for that," Cook told the activists.

County officials were already rattled by the controversy surrounding the death of John Geer, a Springfield man shot by a county police officer at the doorway of his home three years ago. A Fairfax County officer pleaded guilty to manslaughter in April.

The ongoing protests over police shootings around the country underscored their support for more oversight, several county officials said.

A proposal to create a civilian review panel would give that appointed body authority to refer complaints of abuse by officers to county police and to review those investigations for thoroughness. The panel could also request a follow-up investigation if the first one appeared problematic.

Meanwhile, a proposal to hire an independent auditor would allow that person to monitor police department investigations into cases that caused death or serious injury, and to report on cases where there were questions about whether police acted appropriately.

Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (D-Providence) said the new oversight would help assure residents that officials are serious about reviewing instances where officers use force or are accused of misconduct.

"It's just to be sure that we have done as much as we can to be as fair as possible," Smyth said.

Fairfax County police chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr., who attended the meeting, said such external review is "greatly needed in the law enforcement profession."

"We need to restore the confidence and public trust from our community members to be effective as a community," he said.

Some county police officers, however, criticized the ideas.

Joseph Woloszyn, president of the Police Benevolent Association of Virginia, said the Board of Supervisors already had oversight of the department, so there was no need to add the auditor or civilian review panel.

He questioned whether civilian review panel members would have the policing expertise to properly review complaints and whether their decisions might be subject to political pressures because they would be appointees.

"Depending on the qualifications for picking the auditor or civilian review panel, that could make policing more politicized in the county," Woloszyn said. "Look at panels like this in Chicago, Baltimore and Atlanta. It hasn't worked out so well."

The ideas for increased oversight are among 202 reforms proposed in response to the Geer shooting that county officials estimate would cost $35 million to implement.

Many of the changes — including requiring police cadets to undergo training in de-escalating hostile situations before learning to fire their weapons — are already underway.

Last month, the board debated heavily over whether to release the name of an officer involved in an incident causing death or serious injury within 10 days before endorsing that policy.

A decision to require county police officers to wear body cameras was put off until the fall of 2017 to give county officials time to research concerns over privacy related to those devices.

Tuesday's discussion came a day after Fairfax County police released their first comprehensive assessment of the use of force by its officers, another move for increased transparency that stems from the Geer controversy.

The accounting concluded that 985 officers had been involved in using force on 539 occasions in 2015.

Physical contact, stun guns and vehicle intercepts were the most common types of force deployed. An officer discharged a firearm in one case.

The data revealed that in 98 percent of use-of-force cases, civilians were unarmed. Police officials found a violation of department policy in just one of the cases reviewed in 2015.

The report also found that African Americans civilians were disproportionately involved in use-of-force cases and field stops. More than 40 percent of use-of-force cases and 25 percent of field stops involved black residents.

Shirley Ginwright, the president of the Fairfax County NAACP, said she was surprised by the sheer number of use-of-force incidents in the county last year and the proportion that involved African Americans.

"It is a concern when a disproportionate number of these cases involve minorities," Ginwright said. "We are working to see how we can correct things like these in high-crime areas."

Roessler said the percentage of African Americans involved in use-of-force cases does not indicate that black residents are being targeted by police.

"We as a department are going where the crime is," he said. "Obviously, I will not tolerate any profiling or discrimination. These calls are all generated through engagement with the community."

With pressure mounting to better handle police incidents in Fairfax, some supervisors were nonetheless worried about the cost of doing so.

"I want to understand what the rush is to get this done," said Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield,) who expressed concern about the cost of hiring an auditor and the possibility of creating more work for police department officials who would have to respond to requests from the civilian review panel.

"We're not rushing to address a problem, we're rushing to address the issue of accountability and transparency, and we want to do it right," he said.

This article was written by Antonio Olivo;justin jouvenal

Fairfax poised to take historic step by creating an independent auditor for police complaints

By Tom Jackman July 20

Fairfax County police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said he enthusiastically supports civilian involvement in police misconduct investigations. (Tom Jackman/The Washington Post)

For a county that has long stood beneath a legal cone of silence when it came to police shootings, and enjoyed the relative absence of media scrutiny that is focused on cities but not suburbs, Fairfax County is on the verge of a historic, 180-degree change of direction. It is poised to hire a full-time independent auditor who will “participate in and monitor all Internal Affairs investigations” of police shootings, in-custody deaths and all other police-involved deaths or serious injuries, the Fairfax Board of Supervisors indicated in a hearing Tuesday.

Unless there’s good cause not to, “the auditor shall issue a public report with respect to each reviewed investigation,” as recommended by the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission formed last year, “within 60 days of the Auditor’s access to the complete Internal Affairs file,” and the auditor “shall have full access to the criminal investigation file as well.” And, “the auditor shall also issue a public report annually concerning the thoroughness, completeness, accuracy, objectivity and impartiality of the internal affairs investigations reviewed by the auditor.”

This is huge. But there’s more.

For cases that don’t involve death or serious injury, the county is ready to create a nine-member Civilian Review Panel, which will take complaints from citizens, forward them to the police for investigation, and then review the outcome of the cases and hold public hearings if needed. The civilian panel would not do its own investigations, but it would receive a report from the police on the alleged misconduct and any findings, and the board could then hold public hearings, with both the complainant and the officer allowed to present evidence. “Command staff and internal affairs investigators shall appear before the panel upon request,” the Ad Hoc recommendations being considered by Fairfax state, and the county “shall produce any documents or other materials … as requested by the panel.”

The Board of Supervisors discussed and seemed to embrace virtually all of this in a meeting Tuesday, though they will not vote until September on making it happen. But it is a dramatic move to increase transparency and accountability in Fairfax County, and most importantly it was wholeheartedly endorsed by Fairfax police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. Both Roessler and the board endured great criticism for the extensive secrecy surrounding the August 2013 police slaying of John B. Geer in Springfield. If Fairfax truly does create an independent auditor and a civilian review panel, those would be the most significant positives to emerge from the Geer case, which resulted in Fairfax paying a $2.95 million wrongful death settlement and watching one of its officers plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter nearly three years after the shooting.

It’s also an important step in repairing relationships, in at least one large community — Fairfax’s population of 1.1 million is bigger than most cities — at a time when police-public relations are in utter turmoil nationwide. Whether it’s police-involved shootings or police officers being targeted themselves, the preferred model of police as respected protectors of the peace has been turned upside down. Here is one large, meaningful step that police departments can take to reestablish faith that they are a part of a community, not simply its armed guardians.

“There are about 18,000 police departments in this country,” Roessler said. “What we are doing here truly needs to be done in the other 17,999 law enforcement agencies around the country.”

Roessler’s full-throated endorsement of the auditor and civilian panel, along with the retirement of long-time supervisor Gerald Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), who wouldn’t even hold committee hearings on public safety, created the path to serious reform in Fairfax. Roessler’s comments Tuesday were almost surprising in their enthusiasm for having outsiders poke their noses in what has traditionally been police-only business: investigating police misconduct. But he has said he was committed to making Fairfax more engaged with its citizens, and here was some solid proof.

“It’s very clear,” Roessler said, the auditor would objectively review all death and serious use of force cases, and the civilian panel will look at “abuse of authority” cases. “We agree with that. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Transparency is what we needed, and I fully support it as chief. It’s something we need to move forward. This is greatly needed in the law enforcement profession.”

Now keep in mind that this is a department that did not release the name of John Geer’s shooter or any details of the case for 16 months, and then only after ordered by a Fairfax judge. A dash-cam video of the 2009 police killing of motorist David Masters on Route 1 was not released until 2015. In 2006, when two Fairfax officers were shot and killed at a police station, no details of the attack were released for seven months.

But after the details of the Geer case were finally made public in early 2015, along with revelations that Fairfax police had not cooperated with state and federal prosecutors, and that Fairfax prosecutor Raymond Morrogh’s attempts to meet with the Fairfax board had been rebuffed, board Chairman Sharon Bulova formed the Ad Hoc commission to look at all of the police policies and practices. Committees were formed on use of force, hiring, mental health, communications and independent oversight. The independent oversight committee issued its report and recommendations for an auditor and a civilian review panel last October, and some thought that might be the last of it.

Instead, Roessler met with committee chairman Jack Johnson, and all of the committee chairs, and embraced huge sections of each report. “We are on the same page,” Roessler said Tuesday of his meetings with the five committee chairs. “There is no conflict.”

Tuesday’s developments were “amazing to me,” said Nicholas Beltrante, a retired Wahington police officer who has been agitating for civilian oversight since the Masters killing, and who formed the Virginia Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability in 2010. “I just never thought it would occur,” said Beltrante, who was on the Ad Hoc commission. “The citizens have never been given a fair deal regarding these matters.” He is not disbanding the citizens coalition yet.

There are still rivers to cross. No one had an estimated cost for a full-time auditor and staff. In Denver, where Nicholas E. Mitchell serves as independent monitor for the city and county police, the staff is 14 and the annual budget is $1.4 million. But Mitchell said his office had been able to change the way police used body cameras and reduced the city’s liability, and they also changed the policy on shooting at moving vehicles and for accountability in the county jail.

The civilian review panel would have no investigative powers prior to the police reviewing and concluding a case. “It is not intended to be another separate investigation,” Johnson said. He and others suggested the panel would be another “portal” for citizens to file complaints, and a way to get accountability after they are handled by the police. “A segment of our community does not trust the police,” Roessler acknowledged Tuesday. “This provides them an unbiased alternative.”

Roessler said the new civilian posts and reports would be more work for him, but “that’s an extra loop I’m happy to take on.” He even said, “We need more complaints, in order to build a stronger relationship with the community.” There are costs, but “I can’t put a price tag on that,” the chief said, “the ability is to build trust with the community and that we take this seriously.”

The police unions are not happy, though Sean Corcoran, head of the Fairfax Coalition of Police Local 5000, sat on the committee which unanimously recommended the auditor and civilian panel. “For me, the importance is in getting these critical incident investigations right,” Corcoran said. He noted that it was odd that the Fairfax prosecutor doesn’t have its own investigator, which the committee recommended and Morrogh would have to find money for somewhere. Corcoran said he was concerned about the costs, and “I’d rather see [the money] go towards programs to help officers.”

Joseph Woloszyn, head of the local Patrolmen’s Benefit Association chapter, asked, “Which of these are we not doing here in Fairfax County? That’s my question.” He was met with silence.

The answer is there are currently no civilians involved in any police misconduct investigation in Fairfax County. This creates the suspicion that police are protecting their own. This suspicion was made worse when Roessler, on the advice of county attorneys, withheld personnel files from Morrogh and federal prosecutors in the Geer case. The new proposals would put non-police participants in every critical investigation and require reports about them to the public, while still allowing experienced police investigators to run the investigations. That’s what is not being done now. And doing it

Fairfax Co. leaders brainstorm ways for civilian review of police complaints

 By Kristi King | @KingWTOPJuly 19, 2016 10:00 pm

WASHINGTON — Fairfax County is working to establish formal procedures for responding to citizen complaints against police.

Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee members at a meeting on Tuesday heard and discussed recommendations for two new levels of review.

One would create a full-time auditor position to review police policies and investigations of police-involved incidents that result in someone being hurt or killed. Secondly, a civilian review panel would respond to complaints of alleged abuse of authority.

“This is not another investigation. This is not a civil service hearing,” said Jack Johnson, Chair of the Independent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

“This is a review by a civilian panel of the outcome of investigation by the Fairfax County Police Department.”

Public Safety Committee members will continue to hash out details for the proposals on Sept. 13. The full board may consider the measures Sept. 20.

Board members say their goal is to ensure there’s transparency and accountability in investigations of citizen complaints against police.

This new effort is inspired in part by criticism that there were delays in the investigation into the fatal shooting of John Geer in 2013. Former Fairfax County police officer Adam Torres was indicted on a second-degree murder charge for shooting Geer who was unarmed and standing in the doorway of his Springfield home.

Two protestors help up signs at the meeting and occasionally interrupted county supervisors by shouting “black lives matter” and “what about the rights of people in the community?”

Fairfax County police meeting calls for oversight, accountability in officer practices

BY JEFF GOLDBERG, ABC7 TUESDAY, JULY 19TH 2016

Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler says he and his department are committed to greater transparency, and admits that he and others can do better. In a meeting Tuesday at the Fairfax County Government Center, the chief expressed support for the findings of the Ad Hoc review commission calling for greater oversight and accountability of police practices in Fairfax County.

The commission was created in the wake of the fatal police shooting of John Geer nearly three years ago. Last month, officer Adam Torres was sentenced to a year in jail for the killing.

On Tuesday night, Chief Roessler released findings from all the departments “use-of-force cases” in 2015, a total of 539 incidents. The report reveals that more than 40 percent of the use-of-force cases involved African-Americans, who only make up 8 percent of the county’s population. The chief says the disparity in the numbers is a problem that must be addressed and improved upon.

In September 2016, the county board will consider hiring an auditor to oversee and review practices and incidents of the police department.

Fairfax County favors independent police reviews amid concern over black arrests

By Antonio Olivo and Justin Jouvenal July 19

Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday signaled support for providing more civilian scrutiny of police officers’ use of force, a day after a report revealed that African Americans in the county are disproportionately affected in such cases.

Proposals to create a civilian review panel for police abuse investigations and to hire an independent auditor in cases involving death or serious injury stem from recommendations made by a police advisory commission created in response to controversy over the 2013 fatal shooting of an unarmed white man.

However, tensions nationwide over how African Americans are treated by the police spilled into a Tuesday meeting about the proposals, on which county supervisors will probably vote in the fall.

 “Black lives matter!” an activist shouted, while others held signs that referred to the report released this week that showed more than 40 percent of use-of-force cases in the county last year involved African Americans, who account for about 8 percent of Fairfax’s population of 1.1 million residents.

Supervisor John C. Cook (R-Braddock) chaired the meeting, which started with a moment of silence to honor police officers killed this month in Dallas and Baton Rouge. At one point, he threatened to have the activists kicked out.

“We won’t stand for that,” Cook told the activists.

County officials were already rattled by the controversy surrounding the death of John Geer, a Springfield man shot by a county police officer at the doorway of his home three years ago. A Fairfax County officer pleaded guilty to manslaughter in April.

The ongoing protests over police shootings around the country underscored their support for more oversight, several county officials said.

A proposal to create a civilian review panel would give that appointed body authority to refer complaints of abuse by officers to county police and to review those investigations for thoroughness. The panel could also request a follow-up investigation if the first one appeared problematic.

Meanwhile, a proposal to hire an independent auditor would allow that person to monitor police department investigations into cases that caused death or serious injury, and to report on cases where there were questions about whether police acted appropriately.

Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (D-Providence) said the new oversight would help assure residents that officials are serious about reviewing instances where officers use force or are accused of misconduct.

“It’s just to be sure that we have done as much as we can to be as fair as possible,” Smyth said.

Fairfax County’s police chief, Edwin C. Roessler Jr., who attended the meeting, said such external review is “greatly needed in the law enforcement profession.”

“We need to restore the confidence and public trust from our community members to be effective as a community,” he said.

Some county police officers, however, criticized the ideas.

Joseph Woloszyn, president of the Police Benevolent Association of Virginia, said the Board of Supervisors already had oversight of the department, so there was no need to add an auditor or a civilian review panel.

He questioned whether civilian review panel members would have the policing expertise to properly review complaints and whether their decisions might be subject to political pressures because they would be appointees.

“Depending on the qualifications for picking the auditor or civilian review panel, that could make policing more politicized in the county,” Woloszyn said. “Look at panels like this in Chicago, Baltimore and Atlanta. It hasn’t worked out so well.”

The ideas for increased oversight are among 202 reforms proposed in response to the Geer shooting that county officials estimate would cost $35 million to implement.

Many of the changes — including requiring police cadets to undergo training in de-escalating hostile situations before learning to fire their weapons — are already underway.

Last month, the board debated heavily over whether to release the name of an officer involved in an incident causing death or serious injury within 10 days. The board finally endorsed the policy.

A decision to require county police officers to wear body cameras was put off until the fall of 2017 to give county officials time to research concerns over privacy related to those devices.

Tuesday’s discussion came a day after Fairfax County police released their first comprehensive assessment of the use of force by county officers, another move for increased transparency that stems from the Geer controversy.

The accounting concluded that 985 officers had been involved in using force on 539 occasions in 2015.

Physical contact, stun guns and vehicle intercepts were the most common types of force deployed. An officer discharged a firearm in one case.

The data revealed that in 98 percent of use-of-force cases, civilians were unarmed. Police officials found a violation of department policy in just one of the cases reviewed in 2015.

The report also found that African American civilians were disproportionately involved in use-of-force cases and field stops. More than 40 percent of use-of-force cases and 25 percent of field stops involved black residents.

Shirley Ginwright, the president of the Fairfax County NAACP, said she was surprised by the number of use-of-force incidents in the county last year and the proportion that involved African Americans.

“It is a concern when a disproportionate number of these cases involve minorities,” Ginwright said. “We are working to see how we can correct things like these in high-crime areas.”

Roessler said the percentage of African Americans involved in use-of-force cases does not indicate that black residents are being targeted by police.

“We as a department are going where the crime is,” he said. “Obviously, I will not tolerate any profiling or discrimination. These calls are all generated through engagement with the community.”

With pressure mounting to better handle police incidents in Fairfax, some supervisors were nonetheless worried about the cost of doing so.

“I want to understand what the rush is to get this done,” said Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield,) who expressed concern about the cost of hiring an auditor and the possibility of creating more work for police department officials who would have to respond to requests from the civilian review panel.

“We’re not rushing to address a problem. We’re rushing to address the issue of accountability and transparency, and we want to do it right,” he said.