by Timothy Barber
Fairfax County, VA (ABC7) — Fairfax County’s Public Safety
Committee met Tuesday afternoon to talk about police complaints and a study
into the department’s use of force.
Presentation were made by the leaders of the Police Civilian
Review Panel and Independent Police Auditor Richard Schott.
Professors from the University of Texas at San Antonio also made
a presentation about a study they are doing on the agency’s use of force data.
The study is looking for potential reasons or causes for racial disparities.
It is expected to be completed with recommendations in early
2021.
The Police Civilian Review Panel processed 29 complaints last
year, with two complaints resulting in changes.
So far, the panel has received 18 complaints this year.
The Independent Police Auditor reviewed 22 cases last year.
Last month, Fairfax County Officer Tyler Timberlake was caught
on body camera firing a stun gun multiple times at an unarmed Black man who was
having some sort of episode in the middle of a street.
Yesterday, Timberlake was indicted on three counts of assault
and battery.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano released the following in
a statement:
“Today the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office successfully
indicted Tyler Timberlake on three counts of assault and battery. This means
that we can now look ahead to a jury trial that will give our community an
opportunity to weigh in on this important case. I believe the community’s
involvement in deciding this matter is essential and is why we pursued and
obtained today’s grand jury indictments.”
Police Chief Ed Roessler released the body camera video after
the incident and condemned the officer’s actions— a move that sparked calls for
his resignation by the local police union.
Brad Carruthers, President of Fairfax Fraternal Order of Police,
Lodge 77 said in part; “I would like to convey just how disappointed and
disheartened we are with your recent statements and actions. It has become
abundantly clear that your political agenda trumps your obligation to being a
fair and impartial leader. When you publicly excoriate an officer under your
command, characterizing their actions as "disgusting" without even a
nascent investigation, you have crossed the line from Chief of Police to that
of politician playing dress up.”
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