as I was saying, its the punk mentality that ruins that department

 

 

Fairfax County Officer Accused of Sexual Misconduct With Police Cadet

Former officer John Grimes could face up to 15 years in prison and have to register as a sex offender

 

By Cory Smith and Ana Álvarez Bríñez • Published July 20, 2021 • Updated on July 20, 2021 at 5:57 pm

A former Fairfax County police officer was indicted Monday for alleged sexual misconduct with an underage police cadet in 2019.

John Grimes was charged with three counts of custodial indecent liberties, the police department and prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The department says it learned in December 2019 of alleged misconduct against a 16-year-old girl who was a member of the Fairfax County Police Public Safety Cadet Program that November and December. The department said it immediately stripped Grimes of his police powers.

“I have no pity for Grimes. He took advantage of a teenager, and he did so in and out of a Fairfax County police uniform,” Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference. "This uniform will always be a symbol of trust."

The cadet program is designed for youth age 14 to 21 who are interested in careers in law enforcement. The alleged misconduct is a stain on an otherwise strong program, officials said.

Prosecutors say the misconduct began when Grimes took the teen on ride-alongs. Fairfax County police were tipped off by the FBI after Grimes applied to become a special agent and underwent background checks. 

The chief and Steve Descano, commonwealth's attorney for the county, both spoke about their own daughters.

“Crimes of a sexual nature against minors are some of the most heinous crimes, and whenever we see these crimes, I can’t help but think of my daughter and how painful it would be if she were a victim of these types of crimes,” Descano said. “My heart does go out to the victim and her family.”

Grimes was with the department for more than three years. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years of prison and would have to register as a sex offender, Descano said.

It wasn't immediately clear if Grimes had a lawyer.

These morons are going to eventually kill a lot of innocent people in one of these idiot chases

 

 

Crash following police chase snarls traffic on I-95 south near Springfield

All southbound lanes of Interstate 95 are open near Springfield after a driver in a stolen car fleeing state police slammed into a tanker truck in Newington Friday morning.

The 95 Express Lanes reversed to southbound early following the wreck near mile marker 167 near Fairfax County Parkway. 

State police say the incident began just before 8 a.m. when a trooper attempted to stop a Nissan stolen out of Maryland traveling west on Interstate 495 headed towards southbound I-95 (Exit 170C). The Nissan refused to stop and sped away and a pursuit was initiated, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. 

As the Nissan was traveling south on I-95, the driver lost control and struck a tanker truck at Exit 166 for Fairfax County Parkway, Geller said. The Nissan then continued across the southbound lanes and struck the Jersey wall.

 

The man driving the Nissan was flown to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, she said. 

 

Judge denies motion to drop assault charges against Fairfax Co. police officer

 Have you seen the video of what this punk did to the guy that he used the stun gun on?  

God bless the judge in this case.

Neal Augenstein | 

Despite harsh criticism of Fairfax County, Virginia, prosecutors, a circuit court judge has denied a defense motion to drop assault and battery charges against police officer Tyler Timberlake, who used a Taser on a disoriented man on June 5, 2020.

Timberlake’s lawyer, Brandon Shapiro, argued the three misdemeanor counts against his client should be dropped because prosecutors failed to turn over evidence the suspended officer could use in his defense.

In a July 2 ruling, Circuit Court Judge Brett Kassabian said prosecutors, in the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, “failed to promptly and timely disclose exculpatory evidence,” and didn’t turn over the names or statements of any expert witnesses who support Timberlake’s argument that he used the stun gun on a man he mistook for another Black man who he knew was a PCP user with a history of fighting police.

However, the judge said the prosecution’s shortcomings in this case didn’t meet the standard required to throw out the case.

“Fifteen months remain between now and Defendant’s trial, and the court cannot find that defendant was prejudiced by the delay,” Kassabian wrote.

Kassabian said, “The Commonwealth has failed to meet its duty to disclose exculpatory evidence timely.”

While not meriting dismissing the case, Kassabian said prosecutors should be disciplined.

“To turn a blind eye and acquiesce in prosecutorial pronouncements of purported open file discovery not only adversely affects defendant’s rights to a fair trial, but also shakes the public’s confidence in a process that is based on justice and fairness,” Kassabian wrote.

In crafting a measure, Kassabian said prosecutors will not be allowed to have an expert witness — who is allowed to offer opinions — talk about Timberlake’s tactics.

“The Commonwealth shall be prohibited from introducing any expert testimony in its case in chief related to the purported unreasonableness and excessiveness of the Defendant’s actions or deviation from general orders,” Kassabian wrote.

However, jurors would likely be able to hear from a fact witness — for instance, a member of the county police department — who could describe officers’ training.

Descano issued a statement to WTOP and said he’s glad the judge found his office didn’t commit a violation resulting in a dismissal.

“I look forward to providing a jury of Fairfax County residents an opportunity to decide the outcome on the case’s merits. I take seriously the issues raised in the order, have reorganized the team working on this case, and directed them to immediately reexamine all potential discovery elements,” Descano said.

Timberlake remains on administrative leave. A police spokesman said the department’s internal affairs investigation will continue after Timberlake’s criminal case is resolved.

 

 

Gee Whiz...who knew? The Fairfax County Police are targeting Blacks......did they REALLY need a study for this?

 

UTSA study: Use of police force still breaking down across racial, ethnic lines

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO

(San Antonio, June 29, 2021) - UTSA criminology and criminal justice professors Michael R. Smith and Rob Tillyer working in collaboration with University of Cincinnati Professor Robin Engel examined racial and ethnic disparities in the use of force by the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD). One of the nation's largest county police departments, the FCPD serves Fairfax County, Va., a major metropolitan county near Washington, D.C.

The team presented the results of its 18-month study today to the Public Safety Committee of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The team analyzed three years of data, including 1,360 cases of force used by FCPD officers against at least one civilian between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018.

In addition to investigating the influence of civilian race, ethnicity and other factors on force used by FCPD officers, the team also was charged with providing recommendations for reducing potential bias in officer decision-making and improving future use of force data collection.

"Last year highlighted the racial and social disparities that are a fact of life for many in the U.S. The protests following the killing of George Floyd, public health disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising violent crime in many cities are examples of the larger social and economic challenges we face," said Smith. "As an urban serving university, UTSA is committed to research that can address the nation's pressing challenges."

Using benchmarks to compare the rate of force used against racial and ethnic subgroups to the expected risk of force across those groups, the researchers also used a series of multivariate regression models to assess factors associated with the totality and severity of force used used against civilians in Fairfax County.

The researchers benchmarked force used against the major racial and ethnic groups in Fairfax County to the racial and ethnic composition of criminal suspects and arrestees in the county. Key findings of the study included:

•          Average force levels were slightly higher for Blacks (2.4 on a 4.0 scale) than for other racial groups while resistance levels were essentially equal across the racial and ethnic groups.

•          The rates of force used against White and Black civilians consistently exceeded the benchmarks while Hispanic civilians were underrepresented in force cases compared to the benchmarks. The benchmarking findings for Asian civilians were mixed with some showing overrepresentation and some not.

•          Comparing rates of force used against minorities relative to Whites utilizing these same benchmarks showed that in all but one case, the rate of force used against minorities was lower than the rate used against Whites.

•          At the same time, Black, and to a lesser degree Hispanic civilians, experienced more severe force than Whites, and those findings varied by district station.

The researchers concluded that force was used county-wide more often than expected against White and Black civilians based on the benchmark comparisons and generally less often than expected against Hispanic civilians. They also found that Black civilians were more likely to have force used against them in arrest situations compared to Whites.

The researchers offered the FCPD many constructive suggestions on how to enhance its data collection practices, improve its use of force policies and provide evidence-based training to officers to help reduce future disparities in the use of force.

"The Fairfax County Police Department is one of the leading law enforcement agencies in the country. We hope our findings provide the agency and the residents of Fairfax County with a roadmap for improvement," said Smith.

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