Amazing! Fairfax County Police ONCE AGAIN investigate themselves and find themselves innocent!
FCPD: Alexandria man died of overdose while in police custody; involved officers back to full active duty
· By Angela Woolsey/Fairfax County Times
Nov 30, 2018 Updated Nov 30, 2018
The death of an Alexandria resident who died while in police custody in June was the result of a fatal opioid overdose, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Christopher Paul, 31, died at a local hospital on June 26 after public safety personnel responded to an overdose call at his house in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County that afternoon.
The six FCPD officers who were on the scene were initially placed on administrative leave pending criminal and administrative investigations.
However, Fairfax County’s Office of the Commonwealth Attorney has since determined that the physical force used by the police officers was necessary and did not contribute to Paul’s death, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr., who provided the update in a press conference on Wednesday.
“This event is an example of the opioid epidemic, which is ravaging our nation and our county unfortunately,” Roessler said. “My prayers and the prayers of all the dedicated police officers and firefighters continue for the family and community members impacted by the tragic loss of life of this young man due to a fatal opioid overdose.”
Emergency responders received a 9-1-1 call concerning a possible overdose in the 4300 block of Mission Court in Alexandria at 4:35 p.m. on June 26.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel were dispatched to the scene at 4:36 p.m., and police went out three minutes later, arriving on the scene at 4:47 p.m.
According to Fairfax County police, Paul’s family members evacuated the home at the time that the 9-1-1 call went out, but indications that the scene was unstable prompted fire and rescue personnel to set up in a nearby area outside until the FCPD could secure the house.
The police who responded to the overdose call primarily came from the Franconia District Station, including a first-line supervisor from the station, but one officer from the Mount Vernon District Station also joined to provide assistance.
The Mount Vernon station was one of three district stations involved in the body-worn camera pilot project that was in progress at the FCPD at the time, so the officer from that station who was on the scene captured video footage of the incident with Paul.
Roessler released a redacted version of the body camera footage during the press conference on Nov. 28. Individuals’ faces are blurred out in the video, and a portion was also removed for privacy reasons since Paul is not wearing any clothes, Roessler says.
“Out of decency and respect to the family, who have had an opportunity to view this video and correspond with me verbally, I am only providing the community certain segments of the video for that decency factor and also to protect HIPPA issues and other medical items,” the police chief said.
Roessler told media that Paul’s family viewed the redacted video through a proxy, but he intends to provide them with an un-redacted version once the FCPD’s major crimes bureau completes its investigation, which remains active.
The body camera footage shows the Mount Vernon District Station officer and another police officer entering a debris-strewn house to find a man moving around in what appears to be a living room.
The officers walk over to the man, who seems to be crouched on the floor. The police pin him facedown onto the floor, and one of the officers takes out handcuffs while holding the man’s arm behind his back.
The officer wearing the body-worn camera appears to have an electronic control weapon, or taser, pressed to the man’s lower back, but Roessler says the device was never actually deployed.
The redacted video encompasses a total timeframe of four minutes and 25 seconds, concluding with the officers declaring the scene secured and calling in the fire and rescue personnel waiting outside.
According to the FCPD’s initial report of the incident, Paul became unresponsive while he was being assessed by fire and rescue staff, and after being treated by medics, he was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Three of the six police officers at the scene were certified in crisis intervention team training, but none of them had naloxone, a medication that can be used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, according to Roessler, who says that the FCPD has 387 officers equipped with naloxone.
Fire and rescue personnel administered naloxone in this particular incident, Fairfax County Deputy Fire Chief Jason Jenkins says.
“What the video depicts is our training to value life,” Roessler said. “It isolates the event. It contains it. They’re trying to verbally negotiate, and there was an opportunity when the young man fell and got wedged on the floor with all the debris to come in and safely secure him so he wouldn’t harm himself or anyone else…Our training worked here. Unfortunately, opioids killed him.”
Chief Baldy McGee explaining how to do the macarena "And lets forget all this reform nonsense"
"Go ahead, say one more fucking thing"
The problem is, the department is morally and ethically corrupt. Fire the chief and bring in some one from outside the system, then things will change
"Go ahead, say one more fucking thing"
Fairfax County Police Reform: More to Be Done
Five years after an officer shot and killed John Geer in Springfield, Implementation Group offers look at successful reforms, and recommends action in other areas.
By Ken Moore
Monday, October 15, 2018
Despite police departments not being “known for embracing change,” said Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner, “we’ve seen Fairfax County and its Police Department achieve substantial and meaningful reform.”
Since the county’s Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission formed after a county officer shot and killed John Geer in 2013, the county has implemented 88 percent (179 of 202) of the actions recommended by the Commission.
“The report of the commission could have remained on the shelf since its release three years ago,” said Niedzielski-Eichner, chair.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova encouraged seven commission members to continue to assist and advise the county and police department as commission recommendations were assessed and implemented.
The informal implementation group issued a Final Report on Fairfax County Police Reform on Oct. 10. The report was undertaken by the group on its own initiative, believing that the community might benefit from an independent discussion of progress.
POLICE REFORMS will increase police accountability, divert those with mental illnesses into treatment instead of incarceration, reduce use of force injuries and death, open public access to incident information, and maintain public confidence in the police department, according to the Implementation Group.
Implemented highlights, according to the FInal Report, issued last week, include:
Diversion First, alternatives to incarceration for people with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities
Revisions to the police department’s Use of Force General Order, with de-escalation as the strategy of first resort when confronted with a threat rather than the use of deadly force
An Independent Police Auditor who reviews investigations of death or serious injury cases
A Civilian Review Panel to review investigations of civilian complaints regarding “abuse of authority” or “serious misconduct” by an officer
A Media Relations Bureau led by a civilian professional who reports directly to the Police Chief
A predisposition to disclose information by making revisions to information-related general orders in order to increase public visibility of the department’s daily activities and performance,
Revisions to policies governing vehicle pursuit that constrains their use and strengthens supervisory oversight
Recruitment of high-caliber personnel that reflects the county’s diverse population
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS have been approved, but are still in the process of being implemented, including a call for full deployment of body-worn cameras and each patrol officer being equipped with “tasers” as less-lethal alternatives to the use of a firearm,.
“Still, we believe more is possible to further build and maintain community trust,” said Niedzielski-Eichner.
The Implementation Group recommends the Board of Supervisors direct the police department to formally respond to findings of an Independent Police Auditor and a Civilian Panel, and to give the public an opportunity to comment on the findings and recommendations. As the group understands, the Chief of Police has chosen not to respond because the Board of Supervisors did not specifically direct him to do so.
The Chief of Police and his command leadership should maintain a “neutral public posture pending an investigation of a police-involved use of force incident,” the report recommends.
THE INDEPENDENT POLICE Auditor’s responsibilities could expand in several areas. The implementation group advocates for: monitoring and reviewing investigations of Sheriff Deputies involved in shootings, in-custody deaths, and any use of force incident resulting in serious injury or death; auditing police use of body worn cameras, providing an annual report to the Board and the public with findings and recommendations; and participation on two internal police review committees, the Use of Force Technical Review Committee and the Vehicle Pursuit Review Committee.
“The Implementation Group urges Chief Roessler and his commanders to sustain FCPD’s reform efforts and, in particular, to unfailingly meet the ‘predisposition to release information’ standard with regard to openness and transparency, and to commit to respond to findings from the Independent Police Auditor and the Civilian Review Panel.”
The report also calls for a data-driven monitoring program that fully leverages data on police use-of-force and other data now being collected in response to the Commission’s recommendations.
Continued public involvement will be key to continuing to build trust with the community, the report says.
“Continued successes and improvements will depend on Chief Roessler, his commanders and continued meaningful collaboration with citizens engaged in implementation,” said group member Randy Sayles.
The Fairfax County police will hold this off as long as they can and then find an excuse not to use them...watch and see
"Go ahead, say one more fucking thing"
Police body cameras closer to implementation in Fairfax Co.
By Max Smith | @amaxsmith
October 16, 2018 2:03 pm
WASHINGTON — Fairfax County police expect to have initial results of a body camera pilot within a few weeks, Chief Ed Roessler said Tuesday.
A draft of the American University study is due for discussion before Thanksgiving, Roessler told the Board of Supervisors.
“All of our findings as far as the operation, the administration, data storage and a scope of projected cost” would then be presented this winter, Roessler said.
Initial reviews are positive according to supervisors, and Chairman Sharon Bulova expects body cameras will be rolled out county wide in the relatively near future.
“I think it’s not a question of if we’re going to do it, I think it’s a matter of implementing it in a way that is smart, … cost effective and essentially is most effective in our community, so I think there’s no question, at least that’s my sense from the board,” Bulova said.
The issue came up during a discussion about whether the county remains on the right track for changes recommended by an advisory commission formed in the wake of John Geer’s death in 2013. Geer was shot by a police officer who was eventually sentenced to one year in jail for the shooting. The county also settled a wrongful death lawsuit for $2.95 million.
Phil Niedzielski-Eichner, who was on the initial advisory commission and led a group of members who issued a separate follow-up report last week, said it is encouraging that police have revised directives on use of force to emphasize de-escalation and less-lethal options, but there is still additional progress to be made.
“While it is true that the vast majority of our officers today perform their responsibilities professionally and with integrity, it is also true that a very few bad actors, even one bad actor, can undermine the community’s confidence in all,” he said.
The county now has a police auditor and civilian review panel for incidents, and Niedzielski-Eichner said body cameras could supplement that.
“They offer a similar benefit as the independent oversight, with the additional advantage of reducing the risk of an officer being falsely accused,” he said.
“After an appropriately deliberate approach to evaluate risks, benefits and costs of implementation, we expect the pilot project to provide substantial insights that will strengthen the technology’s effectiveness for the county and provide adequate privacy protections. We look forward to your consideration of full deployment of this technology,” he told supervisors.
Even with cameras, it is critical that police share information about incidents quickly rather than holding information close to the vest, he said.
“Accurate, timely and complete information about incidents involving police actions are integral to sustained public confidence in the department,” Niedzielski-Eichner said.
________________________________________
Hell freezes over! Fairfax County Police actually forced to fire a lunatic from its ranks
Chief Edwin Roessler said he fired Jason Colley…...bullshit. He was ordered to fire the murderer. Roessler kept the accused child killer on the payroll for exactly one year.
The ridiculously low levels that the Fairfax County Police hire from is Roessler choice. Fire Roessler, bring in fresh blood and watch how things change.
Fairfax County police officer fired, charged in daughter's death
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - The Fairfax County Police Department has fired an officer who was charged for killing his six-month-old daughter has been fired.
Chief Edwin Roessler said he fired Jason Colley, a 38-year-old man from Monrovia, Maryland, on Friday. Colley was charged with first-degree child abuse resulting in death, first-degree child abuse resulting in severe physical injury, and felony assault, according to the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office.
Colley's daughter, Harper, passed away in October of 2017 after being injured the previous month. Colley has been on paid administrative leave since April, when the department was notified that he was a suspect.
You won't be missed
The local media needs to stop buying into the trash that the Fairfax County Police Chief is selling. This week he’s selling a sob story about suicidal cops on his force. According to him, at least 16 active and retired Fairfax County cops have snuffed themselves. According to him, policing is the cause. But here’s a thought, maybe they were nuts before they joined his gang. Maybe instead of hiring lunatics and thugs, we should fire him and bring in someone who won’t hide their crimes (child molestation, rape, murder etc.) and hire intelligent, normal people to police our streets.
They can handle obnoxious traffic stops, killing citizens and lying about and that's about it
Fairfax Co. police defend response after killing of Fairfax Co. teen Jholie Moussa
By Max Smith
Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler offered a defense Friday against suggestions they did not move quickly enough or spread the word loudly enough after 16-year-old Jholie Moussa disappeared in January. (WTOP/Max Smith)
FARIFAX, Va. — Fairfax County police offered a defense Friday against suggestions they did not move quickly enough or spread the word loudly enough after 16-year-old Jholie Moussa disappeared in January.
She was found dead two weeks later not far from her home, and on Thursday an ex-boyfriend was charged with her murder.
Police did not put out a public notice that she was missing when her family reported it the Saturday of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Police initially considered her a possible runaway, since she had said she was going to Norfolk for a party the night prior.
“From the moment that we got this call, we did not stop [the effort] to find Jholie,” Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler said Friday, as her family sat in the back of the room.
“We entered her into the missing juvenile system, which then has national and regional reach,” Roessler said.
Police also checked several leads on Moussa’s possible location that weekend, the department said.
“The police department and every other agency did everything possible to find Jholie. We are now doing everything possible to bring justice,” Roessler said.
Nebiyu Ebrahim, who is now 18, is charged with first degree murder. While the case has been filed in juvenile court since he was under 18 when Moussa was killed, Virginia law outlines a process that would allow the case to be shifted to adult court.
“This is yet another horrible, tragic death of a young person from our community that had a bright future,” Roessler said.
Police continue to search for additional evidence.
A dive team searched for more evidence Friday in a retention pond near Woodlawn Park in the Alexandria area where Moussa’s body was found in a shallow grave. The pond is also near Ebrahim and Moussa’s homes.
As I wrote when this silliness started, these cops are too arrogant and out of control to let this go past anything but a PR show when the media was watching
Police Body Camera Pilot Program Set To End In
Reston District
Researchers are surveying local residents and
officers on what they thought of body cameras worn by Fairfax County police.
By Chris Gaudet, Patch Staff
RESTON, VA — A pilot program to test body cameras on
Fairfax County police officers ended Friday in the Reston, Mason and Mount
Vernon police districts. Officers began wearing the body cameras and undergoing
training in mid-February. The program was fully implemented by mid-March.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the
90-day pilot in November, and it was extended to 180 days to better assess its
impact. A total of 203 body-worn cameras was distributed to officers in the
Reston, Mount Vernon and Mason districts, as well as to Motor Squad officers
and Animal Protection officers. Not all officers wore body cameras, and school
resource officers did not participate.
The three police districts were selected for the
program because of their communities' diversity, the various types of calls for
service and incidents resulting in the use of force, the Police Department
said.
Under the program, officers wearing body cameras
recorded any call for service, law enforcement action, subject stop, traffic
stop, search or police service. Officers did not record in certain situations
or places like courthouses and medical facilities.
(For more news and information like this, subscribe
to the Reston Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free
Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to
like us on Facebook!)
American University researchers are studying how the
program worked. This includes surveying residents and officers on their
perceptions of the body cameras. A full analysis could be released early next
year.
Like in-car videos, the body camera program is
designed to give Fairfax County police a chance to build trust with the
community and bolster accountability. Depending on how the pilot works out, the
Board of Supervisors could consider a permanent body camera program.
Fairfax County Police officer charged for death of 6 month old baby
No, he's not a sadistic lunatic, I mean, look at his photo. He's a warm cuddly man.
FREDERICK, Md. - A Fairfax County Police officer is being charged for the death of a 6-month-old girl.
On Tuesday 38-year-old Jason Colley was arrested in connection with the death.
Officials say the baby died in October last year and Maryland State Police said Colley became a suspect in April.
Colley turned himself in this morning at the Frederick County Law Enforcement Center after an indictment was signed by a judge.
He is being charged with two first degree child abuse counts and first degree felony assault. Colley has been an officer for 10 years.
The Fairfax County Police investigated themselves and....wait for it.....FOUND THEMSELVES INNOCENT!!!!!
When will this ever end? The Fairfax Police break the law, investigate themselves, find themselves innocent and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney agrees with their finding...its amazing they can get away with this.....but they do..
FCPD arrest of reporter was impartial, independent auditor says
By Angela Woolsey/Fairfax County Times
The Fairfax County Police Department’s investigation into the arrest of a reporter at the Annandale Parade in October was complete, thorough, objective, impartial, and accurate, Fairfax County Independent Police Auditor Richard Schott found in an incident report released on Aug. 10.
Fairfax County police arrested ShareBlue Media reporter Wilfred Michael Stark III, then 49, on Oct. 28, 2017 for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after a confrontation over his use of profanity escalated with a takedown by multiple officers.
A video taken of Stark’s arrest was posted to Twitter on Oct. 31 by songwriter and activist Holly O’Reilly and widely shared, drawing scrutiny of the involved FCPD officers for using force against a journalist at a public event.
The video showed a pair of officers attempting to handcuff Stark against a fence after he uttered a profanity before throwing him to the ground. Four more officers appeared to pin Stark down until he was handcuffed and patted down.
Stark was at the Annandale Parade as part of his ongoing coverage of lobbyist and Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie’s 2017 campaign to become Virginia’s new governor, according to a message posted on Oct. 31 by ShareBlue Media executive editor Jess McIntosh.
A truck for Gillespie’s campaign was featured in the Annandale Parade, an annual community event.
Fairfax County police initially sought a warrant for drunkenness and profane swearing in addition to disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, but a magistrate issued warrants for the latter two charges only on the grounds that swearing was covered under the disorderly conduct charge.
Fairfax County General District Court ultimately found Stark, a Falls Church resident, not guilty of resisting arrest and guilty of disorderly conduct on Feb. 13, ordering him to pay a $500 fine.
The FCPD’s internal affairs bureau conducted an internal administrative investigation of the incident, but the department did not make any referrals to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Schott affirmed the internal affairs bureau’s finding that all of the involved officers had complied with the FCPD’s general order regarding the use of force as well as its determination that a lieutenant who asked an onlooker to stop videotaping the incident had violated departmental policy.
FCPD General Order 540 permits officers to use force “to the extent it is objectively reasonable to defend oneself or another, to control an individual during an investigative or mental detention, or to lawfully effect an arrest.”
FCPD General Order 603.1 asserts that individuals, including members of the press, have a right under the First Amendment to record on-duty police officers while in any place that they are legally allowed to be present.
The policy prohibits officers from threatening, intimidating, or otherwise discouraging any individual from recording police activity.
In his review of the FCPD investigation, Schott described Stark’s arrest as an “unfortunate confrontation that played out in a very public way” and could have been avoided had the reporter not loudly cursed at an event “designed to promote community involvement and neighborhood camaraderie.”
“The arrest of a reporter covering a parade in which politicians took part offended some observers, as did the force used to accomplish it,” Schott said. “In my opinion, however, both the arrest and force used were reasonable police responses to Stark’s actions.”
The objectivity of the FCPD’s internal review came into question after Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. defended his officers’ actions in a press conference held on Oct. 31 shortly after video of Stark’s arrest began circulating.
“The officer was exercising his lawful authority to effect an arrest and could not control this gentleman,” Roessler said in reference to the officer who used a leg sweep to take Stark down to the ground.
The internal affairs bureau’s investigation into the incident was still ongoing at that time.
Schott’s report acknowledges that the police chief’s vocal support for his officers might have it difficult for investigators to conclude those officers had acted inappropriately, but he argues that Roessler would likely have been criticized for a lack of transparency had he not commented.
“While it is understandable that Chief Roessler wanted to defend his officers following this controversial situation, concern that his bold statements defending those officers would prohibit a thorough review is also understandable,” Schott said. “While I understand this skepticism, I reiterate my opinion that the internal investigation was complete, thorough, objective, impartial, and accurate.”
Fairfax Co. Police Officer's Suicide Raises Awareness of Mental Health Stigma
Where this article gets it wrong is using the assumption that the job makes the cops nuts. No. Wrong. The Fairfax County Police largely hire lunatics who are already nuts.
By Doreen Gentzler, Christina Romano, Perkins Broussard and Sarah Cammarata
The suicide of a Fairfax County police officer last year is igniting change within the department and highlighting the increased risk of depression among law enforcement officers.
Mandatory suicide prevention training and greater awareness in the department aims to break down the stigma surrounding mental health issues and police officers.
A Changing Minds project earlier this year prompted the officer’s family to share their similar story with NBC4. In March, an NBC study revealed new results on the stigma attached to mental health issues in fire departments.
Jennifer Basham lost her brother, Tony Basham, to suicide Aug. 28, when he shot himself.
The siblings joined the police department together more than 20 years ago. Tony Basham started as a detective and 2nd Lt. Jennifer Basham works as the chief flight officer for the helicopter.
She and her brother called each other frequently to talk about different things that happened on the job.
"We were actually a coping system for each other at times, because we knew each other could understand," Basham said.
After losing her main support system, Basham finds it hard to talk about her brother's death.
"It’s taking me a long time to even begin to come to terms with it, and so as I tear up, I’m just starting," Basham said, holding back tears.
She said her colleagues in the helicopter unit have been a large source of support during this tough time.
"I think there are changes being made in the department in a positive way to help others," Basham said.
Police work is dangerous and stressful, but in Tony Basham’s case, no one knew how much he was struggling. The tendency to bottle up emotions is common for many police officers.
"We have a tendency to normalize traumatic things, because if you don’t, you can’t get through it every day," Basham said.
Basham said police officers are forced to witness horrific events and move on very quickly. Yet, ignoring these events could be part of the problem, she said.
"You have to say that this is an issue," she said.
Basham’s mother, Cynthia Basham, is also struggling to cope with her son’s death.
"Police officer personality is that you can fix it and that you’re tough," she said.
"Saying, 'I can’t handle it,' they feel like it’s a sign of weakness, when it’s really not," she continued.
She also thinks a stigma surrounding mental health issues makes officers question how admitting their troubles will negatively affect their career.
Since Tony Basham's death, the Virginia police department created a suicide prevention video, part of mandatory training for all employees.
Cynthia Basham hopes their efforts will make people feel more comfortable asking for help with mental health problems.
"Maybe another family won’t have an empty chair at the dinner table because they are actively going forward with support," she said.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Jennifer’s new puppy, is offerring her some comfort, too. He was a gift from a colleague, who knew she was having trouble sleeping.
Jennifer also started to see a counselor and she is encouraged by how much the therapy has helped so far. Even so, she said it’s a very long and hard journey ahead.
"The thing that I wish my brother could have remembered was hope and that’s my goal for other officers, for them to always have hope that it will get better," she said.
Kerr: Police may know more about where you go than you do
By David Kerr
It’s a Saturday night and you’re in Northern Virginia, or in a host of localities around the country and you’re just driving. The destinations of drivers at that time of evening are as endless as the characters and personalities of those behind the wheel. Anything from dropping in on a favorite nightspot, going out to see a movie or, as teenagers still do, cruising. Some things don’t change.
There is a wonderful freedom about that ability to get in the car and just go. However, while you might assume that you are the only one that knows you’re at a certain spot or taking a particular route, that’s not necessarily so.
Thanks to license plate readers and big data computing, the police may know it too.
The technology of license plate reading has gotten better and better over the years. I remember a friend of mine who lost his car at an airport out West years ago.
He was in economy lot A or B, he didn’t remember, and both were massive parking lots. Oh, and it was snowing.
But he knew his license tag number and, by providing proof of who he was, the airport police told him where his car was and graciously gave him a lift.
Major airports keep regular imagery of all vehicle license plates on their property. Fair enough. In the post 9/11 world we accept quite a bit of intrusive technology.
But still, do police in Fairfax, for example, need to know that I was at the intersection of Route 50 and Little River Turnpike last Monday evening at nine?
Many police departments use license plate reading cameras, most attached to a patrol car, either moving or stationary, on a regular basis. In some cases there is a purpose. They have a specific crime to investigate, and they want to see if the criminal’s plate comes up.
Other times, for all practical purposes, they just take pictures. Millions of them. Los Angeles, for example, records up to 1.2 million license plate images a week. They really want to know who was where and when — even if there isn’t a clear reason for knowing why.
Therein lies the troubling part. Should police be able to record, by virtue of our license plates, our location at a specific time when they don’t have any particular reason for doing so?
It’s a good question, but it’s a widespread practice.
Fairfax County police for example collect a lot of license plate imagery. It’s a big county and it has its share of crime, but why the widespread collection of data?
Some of the answer may be in looking for patterns, thereby identifying cars that might have been near a crime. Or maybe they are trying to keep tabs on a suspect car.
But taking pictures of thousands of license plates is a sweeping way of gathering evidence. It also allows police, thanks to modern computing and pattern recognition so ware, to have a special insight, not necessarily welcomed, into where we go and the way we live.
For the record, Stafford County, where I live, a more live and let live kind of place, has one license plate camera mounted on a patrol car.
According to Sheri David Decatur its effectiveness in catching criminals is marginal. It sometimes helps them track down a criminal or stolen car, but that’s mostly on the larger throughways such as U.S. 17 and Garrisonville Road. Also, in the interest of privacy, the county deletes the data after 30 days. Chalk one up for Stafford County.
But not so for some of the bigger players. Los Angeles keeps their millions upon millions of license plate images for as long as five years. Fairfax keeps its considerable license plate library for up to a year, and Prince William and Arlington for up to six months.
But there are some challenges to this disconcerting practice. One recent lawsuit that made it to the Virginia Supreme Court argued that a license plate is personally identifiable information (PII). A little like a Social Security number. The court went along with this notion and sent it back to the lower courts for further consideration.
A slight twist on this is in California. The American Civil Liberties Union didn’t so much challenge the collection of the data as they did the transparency behind “why” the data was being collected. They simply want to be told how the data is being used.
Court cases like these could begin to put a crimp in this widespread collection of license plate numbers and a specific car’s location.
It’s a great technology, but this is a free society. We like to think our movements, where we go, what routes we take, what burger joints we visit are our own business. No matter how amazing the technology becomes, that still sounds like a good philosophy.
David Kerr, a former member of the Stafford County School Board, is an instructor in political science at VCU and can be reached at StaffordNews@insidenova.com.
