Change Is Vowed For Tense Department

The Washington Post


June 9, 1992, Tuesday, Final Edition


Chief Picked For Fairfax Police Force;


Change Is Vowed For Tense Department


BYLINE: Peter Baker, Washington Post Staff Writer


SECTION: METRO; PAGE B3


LENGTH: 547 words


Moments after being picked as chief-designate of the Fairfax County Police Department yesterday, Michael W. Young pledged to change the climate of a force that has been criticized recently by female and minority officers who say they are mistreated. "I can guarantee that's coming," he said of the promised atmosphere. "The role for leadership is to set the tone, the climate and the attitude in the professional sense."


The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Young's appointment yesterday after a week in which long-simmering resentment in the department spilled into public view. Dozens of female, minority and some white male officers complained that promotions and desirable assignments were often decided by a "good-old-boy network" that did not welcome outsiders. In taking the $ 99,219-a-year job at such a tempestuous time, Young tried to strike a balance between competing factions in the 946-officer force.He said that he took the grievances seriously and promised to take whatever actions are needed to restore the police administration's credibility with rank-and-file officers. At the same time, he made sure to praise the department as fundamentally sound, did not promise a shakeup and cited the need to be fair to those already in high-ranking positions."I am of the firm conviction that our department is essentially in strong shape and our strength will re-emerge if given the right atmosphere," he told reporters.Young, 45, who retired last year as deputy chief, said he would have been surprised if such "deeply felt" sentiment had surfaced while he was still with the department.But he said that if so many officers believe there is a problem, there probably is one. He said he would be willing to consider transfering the promotion system to an independent agency.A native Virginian who graduated from Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge, the University of Richmond and the FBI National Academy, Young joined the Fairfax force in 1971 after two years in the Army. He has headed virtually every major division, including vice and narcotics, special operations, criminal investigation and major crime.He left in April 1991 after his 18-year-old son, Eric, was seriously injured in an car accident. His son has since recovered. Young and his family live in Woodbridge.Young, who succeeds retiring Chief John E. Granfield June 27, has been welcomed from all corners, from top brass down to the dissident officers who brought their grievances to federal civil rights officials and Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas M. Davis III (R)."I have found absolutely no one who does not stand behind him or speak out for him," Officer John R. Burdette, president of the Police Association, said of Young. "He shunned the good-old-boy network that's alleged to be the core of the problem."But Burdette said that many officers resented Davis's involvement and what they saw as a "vocal minority" dictating who could be the next chief."The system was being undermined by the calling of a secret meeting by the chairman of the board," Burdette said of a meeting at Davis's house attended by as many as 40 officers unhappy with promotion practices and other issues. "That was unprecedented and I would hope it would never happen again."