SWAT team to help control Fairfax deer (Actual headline)

Posted at 09:29 AM ET, 08/09/2011

By Associated Press

SWAT team to help control Fairfax deer

but first we need to teach the deer to gamble and then arm them with cell phones, you know, make it a fair fight and all that.

Idiots at work

Attleboro MA police sued by father & daughter alleging brutality, repeated harassment & false arrests [3] http://ow.ly/1vllfM

Bethlehem PA cop gets probation in reduced charge plea deal for destroying video evidence in brutality case [0] http://ow.ly/1vkwWe

Baltimore MD police notified of ACLU intent to sue for arresting man & deleting videos of arrest from his phone [4] http://ow.ly/1vlgQF

Marysville PA cop already serving 10yrs for molesting 12+ girls pleads no contest to repeatedly molesting another [0] http://ow.ly/1vkuCX

Grainger Co TN deputy pleads guilty to fed enticement charges for enticing 13 & 16yr-old girls to have sex w/him [0] http://ow.ly/1vlD0t

Tucson AZ police lt fired after 9mo investigation into allegations he had sexually explicit chats w/minors online [1] http://ow.ly/1vlllB

Baton Rouge LA cop arrested on allegations he broke into home of woman used to date & assaulted her 2x while on duty [0] http://ow.ly/1vlHW5

Kalamazoo MI police officer suspended after arrested on suspicion of domestic violence following wife’s 911 call [1] http://ow.ly/1vkv8x

Los Angeles Co CA deputy fired after video contradicted his version of why he fired shots at car while off duty [2] http://ow.ly/1vlmJd

Laredo TX cop sentenced to 6.5yrs prison for helping drug trafficker protect and move cocaine shipment [0] http://ow.ly/1vlmSJ

Pharr TX cop sentenced to 12yrs on federal charges for protecting cocaine & gun shipments for drug cartel [0] http://ow.ly/1vkQdT

Bluff City TN police chief suspended while investigated for possible improper handling of confiscated vehicles [0] http://ow.ly/1vl1FY

Homer MI police chief & an officer subject of search warrants in criminal probe involving salvage titles [1] http://ow.ly/1vl6j2

Union City NJ police chief ($209k/yr) accused of claiming $45k/yr pay for hours not worked as school security detail [3] http://ow.ly/1vl28d

Los Angeles CA police dpt sued by 10 officers alleging retaliation for refusal to meet illegal traffic ticket quotas [3] http://ow.ly/1vls7x

Rapides Parish LA sheriff accused of nixing dog shooting probe vs pal, whistleblower allegedly fired for animal porn [0] http://ow.ly/1vkYOS

Renton WA police convince prosecutor & judge to get cyberstalking warrant to find out who made cartoons mocking cops [3] http://ow.ly/1vkPYm

North Corwall PA cop suspended 2days for unspecified police act violation a month after other cop fired for same [3] http://ow.ly/1vlw2X

Idiots at work

5 New Orleans LA cops found guilty on all 25 counts for fatal Danziger Bridge shootings & cover-up [0] http://ow.ly/1vmLc4

Brea CA police sued by family of man suspected of robbery who was unarmed when fatally shot by cop armed with a rifle [2] http://ow.ly/1vmUWg

Oakland CA police lose lawsuit for $200k to 2 black men strip searched in public during unwarranted traffic stop [3] http://ow.ly/1vmDhH

South Burlington VT cop sued by woman falsely convicted on drug charge & man illegally detained & strip searched [3] http://ow.ly/1vmFvE

Boynton Beach FL cop arrested after video shows he lied about arrest & planted gun on suspect, 3rd this week [0] http://ow.ly/1vmELJ

Los Angeles CA Airport police officer suspended while investigated for alleged sexual assault of woman while on duty [0] http://ow.ly/1vnvFw

Salt Lake Co UT sheriff’s dept sued by ACLU for man detained 39days after court ordered release & ICE hold dropped [3] http://ow.ly/1vnz4j

US drug test used by US DEA & law enforcement agencies across US called into question by judges in DC & Colorado [0] http://ow.ly/1vnGx5

4 Washington DC cops accused of ignoring hate crimes by refusing to take report from 5 lesbians assaulted by 2 men [0] http://ow.ly/1vnuXE

Centreville IL cop arrested on felony child abuse charges for allegedly injuring 2yr-old boy w/blow to the head [0] http://ow.ly/1vn7t0

Edinburg TX cop gets probation for single felony misuse of police database in plea deal dropping pages of charges [0] http://ow.ly/1vnuqp

Renton WA cops accused of shopping cyberstalking case to prosecutors to retaliate against cartoonist critical of cops[3] http://ow.ly/1vnOSB

Plantation FL cop suspended 2days w/o pay for texting domestic violence victim that her toenail polish turned him on [0] http://ow.ly/1vn0cf

Broward Co FL deputy transferred to all-male jail and “counseled” after claims of sexual misconduct at woman’s jail [0] http://ow.ly/1vnBEQ

Gary IN cop accused of sex w/suspect assigned to motor pool after prosecutor says he won’t take cases from him [1] http://ow.ly/1vnOv8

Belton MO cop shown grabbing teen’s butt on Quik-Trip store surveillance video in legal claim filed against city [3] http://ow.ly/1vnTIn

Franklin Co NC sheriff reportedly admits to embezzling over $90k from drug fund & charity for kids, but not charged [0] http://ow.ly/1vnyS7

Washington DC cop arrested on felony car theft charges for allegedly failing to return car he rented in 2009 [0] http://ow.ly/1vnxjd

Orlando FL cop reprimanded for using unsterilized swab to test man’s mouth for drugs during stop w/o cause or consent[0] http://ow.ly/1vmWBR

Brockport NY police lose defamation suit against newspaper in attempt to discover names of anonymous commenters [0] http://ow.ly/1vmVcH

Luzerne Co PA deputy charged w/assault, burglary & harassment sfor allegedly attacking her ex-girlfriend’s girlfriend [0] http://ow.ly/1vmPJb

2 New Orleans LA cops, mom & son, plead guilty to multiple charges for attacking a bouncer at bar while off duty [0] http://ow.ly/1vmJzB

Coventry RI cop fired by Law Enforcement Bill of Rights Panel 9mo after convicted of masturbating in front of 2 women[0] http://ow.ly/1vmFIY

Bluffton SC settles suit for $86k to ex-police lt claiming she was wrongly fired for complaining about misconduct [4] http://ow.ly/1vmJzh

El Paso Co CO deputy w/2 reckless driving convictions investigated after causing fatal crash by running red light [0] http://ow.ly/1vmJxX

West Virginia state trooper subject of suit by flagger claiming he fell asleep at wheel when he hit her with cruiser [0] http://ow.ly/1vmDDh

California Hwy Patrol officer arrested on multiple domestic abuse charges then a week later for violating order [0] http://ow.ly/1vmDp5

Idiots at work

Westerly RI police accused of excessive force a man officers hit with a baton & peppersprayed died 16 hours after arrested for disorderly conduct. [3] http://ow.ly/1vpX7X

Norway SC police refuse to disclose information about why an officer fatally shot a minister to death after an alleged chase that only lasted a couple of minutes. [3] http://ow.ly/1vpk3R

Toronto ON cops are under investigation after a mute man who was well-liked by neighbors died when he was thrown to the ground and cuffed for unknown reasons. [4] http://ow.ly/1vpe1X

New York NY police are being sued by a man who survived anywhere from 15 to 27 gunshot wounds when several officers unleashed a volley of gunfire that left 1 dead & 6 injured while he was struggling with a man who pulled a gun. [3] http://ow.ly/1vpAcM

Toronto ON police are the subject of an SIU investigation but neither agency will say why undercover cops attempted to stop a car, why the driver was shot in the arm, or what he was charged with along with his passenger after the incident. [4] http://ow.ly/1vsoUg

Fort Dodge IA cop arrested on sexual abuse & extortion charges after accused of sexually assaulting woman in April [1] http://ow.ly/1vpfrB

Henrico County VA deputy was arrested on possession & production of child porn charges after his home raided back in May [1] http://ow.ly/1vpeR7

Juneau AK cop gets deal dropping sexual abuse of a minor charges in exchange for a plea to an interference charge [0] http://ow.ly/1vqmfe

New York NY cops owe $1,000,000 in unpaid tickets according to a report on parking placard abuses, cops blame finance dept [0] http://ow.ly/1vpsxs

Indianapolis IN police car was videotaped by a motorist doing over 100mph on a highway without it’s lights or sirens on [0] http://ow.ly/1vsnOA

New York NY police sgt suspended 30days w/o pay after arrested on DUI charge when stopped for running red light [0] http://ow.ly/1vrR4J

Winooski VT cop charged w/drunk driving after found slumped over steering wheel in highway median while off duty [0] http://ow.ly/1vpktD

Its a government not a social club

The Fairfax County Police take in over $200,000,000 (Its actually about $225,000 a day) a year and use a portion of it to finance a 40 person honor guard...40 people.....honor guard....think about......

......wouldn't it be great if parts of the media didn't report this sort of thing as a cuddly feature piece and looked at the deeper issue that perhaps we have too many cops with nothing else to do?

We need to hire a board of supervisors who aren't cowed by the cops. There's an election coming...vote for anyone but the people already in office and let's make a change.

Indian police

Your local police

The pork shop

donuts

donuts

50 points

clowns

your local police

bacon

police medic

Elected leaders

Today, Radley Balko asked his readers an interesting question as to whether appointing or electing law enforcement leadership had anything to do with police misconduct. It was an interesting question so I decided to run some analysis on our data and see if there were any correlations between misconduct rates and leadership selection types.
The results were sort of interesting.
First, just looking at overall misconduct per capita rates the results appear to indicate that agencies with elected leaders have less misconduct. Our 2009 Annual Report indicated that the national police misconduct rate was a projected 980.64 officers per 100,000. When we segment that into local Police Departments and Sheriff’s Offices we find that Police departments where leaders are appointed had a misconduct rate of 990.09 per 100,000 while Sheriffs offices where leaders are elected had a misconduct rate of 644.14 per 100,000.
Our 2010 data is somewhat similar in the breakdown. While the overall misconduct rate was 977.98 per 100,000, police departments had a misconduct rate of 1082.04 per 100,000 and sheriff’s agencies had a misconduct rate of 706.74 per 100,000.
So, it would seem that elected officials do better than appointed officials. However, when we look at the number of agencies and leaders implicated in misconduct we see something different.
In 2009 our data indicated that 10.8% of police agencies had officers involved in police misconduct while 7.8% of sheriff’s departments had officers implicated in acts of misconduct. But, in 2010 14% of police agencies had officers implicated in misconduct and 18% of sheriff’s departments had officers implicated in misconduct. Additionally, in 2010, 2.5% of police chiefs were implicated in acts of misconduct while 3.5% of sheriffs were implicated in misconduct. So, when we examine the numbers by agency the picture is a bit more muddled.
However, I personally think that, more importantly than how law enforcement leaders are selected, the laws and policies that govern those leaders and the people they lead are at least as equally important, if not more so. After all, even if you have a good leader in place, what good is it if state laws and local union agreements make it impossible for that leader to hold officers accountable for acts of misconduct?

Idiots at work

4 Tampa FL cops sued by deaf man claiming cops repeatedly tasered & beat him after dragging him out of a bar. While they allegedly fractured his orbital bones in the assault they never arrested him, just cited him for disorderly conduct… a charge that was later dismissed. [3] http://ow.ly/1viVjI

A number of Longueuil QC cops are being investigated for alleged excessive force against a 57yr-old woman who was thrown to ground at a fireworks show. [0] http://ow.ly/1viQQw

Los Angeles Co CA settles suit for $650k to a man claiming police beat him at a traffic stop and a woman who was punched when she begged the cops to stop [3] http://ow.ly/1vi48S

Hackensack NJ police union pres suspended & arrested for allegedly hitting a suspect in the head during questioning [0] http://ow.ly/1viQsa

Kingsport TN cop resigned after arrested in connection w/massive child sexual abuse network that created child porn [0] http://ow.ly/1virAn

Tucson AZ police lt suspended since June while investigated for chats describing fantasies of molesting young boys [2] http://ow.ly/1vikKc

Crisp Co GA deputy arrested for attempted child molestation for arranging meeting w/15yr-old on internet in sting op [0] http://ow.ly/1vijLi

Birmingham MI police account of why they shot dog to death contradicted by witnesses saying it wasn’t aggressive [3] http://ow.ly/1vifBV

Lawrence MA cop’s home raided by FBI in unspecified investigation possibly part of corruption case against mayor [3] http://ow.ly/1vjs5o

Miami Beach FL police IA officer & Tempe AZ cop named in suit alleging Shaquille O’Neal tried to frame biz partner [3] http://ow.ly/1vjhOv

Midland MI cop pleads guilty to receiving stolen property for keeping flat screen TV stolen from a Rent A Center [0] http://ow.ly/1viqnB

Zionsville IN police chief resigns while investigated for allegedly threatening his officers w/gun & evidence theft [0] http://ow.ly/1vipUX

5 Zionsville IN cops disciplined for failing to report misconduct by police chief who resigned over evidence thefts [0] http://ow.ly/1vjxXa

Apple Creek OH police chief resigns after suspended & charged w/theft in office for stealing evidence & selling it [1] http://ow.ly/1vilrh

Hesperia CA USD Police chief suspended after officers’ lawyer issues cease & desist alleging retaliation/harassment [1] http://ow.ly/1vipHc

Seabrook NH cop accused of going on tirade about how he wouldn’t arrest a cop and threatened the officers who arrested him on drunk driving and hit & run charges. [0] http://ow.ly/1vigOq

Freeport MI police chief faces “super drunk” driving charges after stopped w/BAC 2x legal limit [0] http://ow.ly/1vjgUn

North Bay ON cop arrested on drunk driving charges after refusing breath test during routine traffic stop [0] http://ow.ly/1viVSP

Elyria OH settles suit for $50k to man who was punched by a cop while cuffed to hospital bed because of comment [0] http://ow.ly/1vfTor

Montgomery Co MD police rebuked by judge over overly aggressive interrogation practices & failure to mirandize [0] http://ow.ly/1vgUpZ

Benton Harbor MI police accused of tasering man after he was cuffed after allegedly mistaking him for drug dealer [1] http://ow.ly/1vgUpA

RCMP sued by family of man shot to death in bdrm last yr by cops responding to dispute, RCMP refuses to release info [4] http://ow.ly/1vgLxy

San Antonio TX police sued by family of man who died in custody, claim police won’t release information [3] http://ow.ly/1vgUmh

Fullerton CA police accused of being abusive towards homeless in wake of criticism over homeless man’s beating death [3] http://ow.ly/1vgUiM

2 Boynton Beach FL cops arrested on falsifying report charges for allegedly lying about drug bust at motel [0] http://ow.ly/1vg6G2

West Reading PA police sgt who is taser trainer arrested over videos showing him tasering several people for fun [0] http://ow.ly/1vg4rw

Winn Parish LA sheriff indicted on federal distribution of methamphetamine charges along with 10 other people [0] http://ow.ly/1vgB4l

Hoffman Estates IL cop on leave while subject of unspecified investigation involving work on auto theft task force [3] http://ow.ly/1vg3pS

Woburn MA cop arrested on assault & battery charge on allegations he punched woman in face during argument at bar [0] http://ow.ly/1vg39O

Oxnard CA cop assigned as school resource officer arrested on domestic violence charge involving unspecified woman [1] http://ow.ly/1vgUv4

Roosevelt Co MT sheriff arrested on assault charges for allegedly throwing man through window in off duty bar fight [0] http://ow.ly/1vgm7U

US Park Police accused of cracking down on drivers who stop to let pedestrians cross streets in response to accidents[0] http://ow.ly/1vg6Wf

Manhattan Beach CA cop sentenced to probation in plea to hit & run accident, was fired after incident [0] http://ow.ly/1vgJgs

NM state trooper arrested for resisting, refused to leave hotel while drunk, arrested in June for DUI w/kid in car [0] http://ow.ly/1vgUqC

2 Detroit MI cops subject of suit by ex-Army medic claiming they rammed his car then beat him while he was cuffed. [3] http://ow.ly/1vf3jJ

Miami Beach FL settles suit for $75k to gay man claiming cops uttered homophobic slurs as they beat him then arrested him for calling 911 to report seeing the officers kick a man in the head. [0] http://ow.ly/1veMK8

Maricopa County AZ is being sued by 4 people arrested at a protest including a protester claiming deputies repeatedly kicked him after he was cuffed, a protester claiming she was denied treatment, and two legal observers claiming they were falsely arrested and detained longer than they should have been. [3] http://ow.ly/1veQga

Syracuse NY cop investigated after video apparently shows him ram a handcuffed man’s head into cruiser for “mouthing off” [3] http://ow.ly/1vdTXr

Desert Hot Springs CA cop sentenced to $3000 fine & probation on civil rights charge for tasering a cuffed suspect [0] http://ow.ly/1vebdM

Corona CA police sued by ex-cop claiming she suffered retaliation for reporting misconduct by a gang unit leader [4] http://ow.ly/1vdBYr

Philadelphia PA police accused of covering up cop’s federal firearms crime because of his high-rank relatives [4] http://ow.ly/1ve52i

Muhlenberg PA cop suspended after arrested on allegations he put pistol in wife’s mouth & threatened to kill her [0] http://ow.ly/1veX7m

Washington DC cop pleads guilty to stealing over $40k from 85yr-old woman she was assigned to help [0] http://ow.ly/1veevS

Arizona DPS officer arrested on sexual abuse charge after allegedly groping a woman at a bar [0] http://ow.ly/1veboN

New Orleans LA cop suspended after arrested along w/girlfriend on domestic battery charges after altercation [0] http://ow.ly/1vdXmT

Prince George’s Co MD off-duty cops working security for party investigated for turning away EMTs after drowning [0] http://ow.ly/1veF6G

Boynton Beach FL cop suspended after arrested for suspected drunk driving after crashing car into gate & flipping it [0] http://ow.ly/1veu7v

Oak Hill FL disbands police department over issues that included allegations cops planted pot plants on mayor’s land [3] http://ow.ly/1veFXn

Fullerton CA police accused of excessive force in arrests of man outside club & another who filmed it [3] youtu.be/PiNOjG-xlPw

Port Townsend WA police accused of excessive force on man who didn’t show ID during DUI stop, was a passenger [3] http://ow.ly/1vbBVs

US DEA agents accused of throwing innocent veteran to the ground during wrong door raid, DEA denies allegations [3] http://ow.ly/1vceaZ

Houston TX police say lights & sirens aren’t required when speeding to calls after speeding cop strikes pedestrian [0] http://ow.ly/1vbFs2

Tulsa OK cops in corruption case sued by man freed after 2yrs into life sentence after drug informant admitted lying [0] http://ow.ly/1v9t4G

Suffolk Co NY cop arrests news cameraman for obstruction as he films chase scene from public sidewalk a block away [3] http://ow.ly/1va8uo

Glassboro NJ cop subject of brutality suit by woman alleging she was arrested for saying she was filing complaint [3] http://ow.ly/1v9Kr4

Michigan Supreme Court endangers civil rights act by deciding sheriff not liable for deputy raping a female detainee [0] http://ow.ly/1v9u8o

Shreveport LA cop in suit alleging he punched woman is fired for alleged unrelated violations of dept policies [2] http://ow.ly/1v9qfd

Dallas TX police officer arrested on domestic violence assault charges ~~in unspecified incident~~ and unlawful restraint after allegedly pushing woman to the ground then cuffing her & threatening her with jail time after arguing with her about an ex-girlfriend. [1] http://ow.ly/1vcdIj

Clark Co IN sheriff’s lt col arrested on misd domestic battery charges after wife reported incident to state police [0] http://ow.ly/1vcmIx

Albuquerque NM cop arrested on DUI & criminal damage charges after showing up to ex-husband’s home drunk & angry [0] http://ow.ly/1vcGJ0

police log

A Badge on his Behind: Police Capt. Dawson Pervert commands Silly District Station.

....Or Honor and the Fourth Estate

While attending Groveton High in Alexandria, Purvis Dawson wanted to someday be a Navy pilot or a police officer. He didn’t care, as long as it was a government gig with a steady page check and early retirement. And both jobs would have him surrounded by men……there’s nothing wrong with that. Its not unnatural or anything.

That was three months ago…… He’s now a captain and, since mid-April, he’s been the commander of the Silly District Police Station.

"In 3 months, I’ve seen it all," he said. "Well, maybe not all…you know…actually I haven’t seen much, come to think of it…..anyway….after coming here, I met with all the shifts and every specialty within the station and told them I believe I’ve been entrusted to lead it. And when something is entrusted to you, you entrust it back because love means never having to say ….uh….where was I? ……anyway…..I said “Men…I’m pretty sure they were all men…I said if you ever need a hug, if you ever need a massage….I’m you’re guy”

Pervert replaced Capt. John Peepee, who’s now commanding the Criminal Intelligence Oh God the Crooks are Smarter than us Division of the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

"I was a lieutenant with Tech Services and was the project manager for this building being built," said Dawson. "When they broke ground, I had moved into the basement and I’ve been living there ever since…..So this is like coming home for me, and I’m happy to be here…..because it’s like home "

Born in a log cabin in Fairfax County and raised in Mount Vernon, he once threw a coin across the Potomac…….Oaky, that last thing isn’t true…but he was president of his graduating class at the Criminal Justice Academy. Of course, he was the only person in the class “All my friends” Pervert says “Weren’t afraid of life and went out and got real jobs…me? …..naw, its government worker life for me”

He was a patrol officer at the West Springfield Station and, for six days and organized the county’s first Business Watch. “We watch people in business and go “Whew, man I couldn’t keep that pace”

He was also a founding member of the Police Department’s Peer Support Team and served as one of its counselors. "When officers experience a tragic or horrific incident, like hurting his hands when he slaps a cuffed suspect…….sometimes they just need to know someone’s there for them, to listen," he said.

During the past three decades, he worked in communications, field support, the bike team, Helicopter Division, Tank Corp, anti-mine Corp and Fairfax Police Navy.

"One thing that greatly prepared me [to command a district station] was watching lot of television” he said.

In that job, Dawson learned how to let residents and businesses know that the police were adversaries and not a part of the community, since almost every cop on the Fairfax Police Force lives out of the county.

"My bike team experience also embedded me in the community, so people knew they could reach out to me and that gave me the right to shoot them” he said

From 2005-06, he commanded the Helicopter Division based on West Ox Road even though he has never actually been in a copter “I saw Platoon, like, I dunno know, like 50,000 times…so like you learn from that, I thoroughly enjoyed it, seeing policing from a whole, different perspective. From the air, you can look into people’s windows and sometimes like you get to see them naked and then you can arrest them because naked is illegal”

At the Silly District Station, Dawson received a warm welcome. He also praised the "fantastic job" both Peepee and the assistant station commander, Lt. John “Call me Joan” Thrace, have done there.

"This station enjoys widespread, community contempt" he said. "They do their job well, but my goal still is to leave the station worse than I found it because that’s what cops do, we fuck up everything…….if it wasn’t for the media glorifying us, gosh, I just don’t know what we would do”

Noting that this area has a wide variety of businesses, institutions and organizations, Dawson said their safety and quality of life is as important to him so he intends to harrass everyone he sees "it’s incumbent upon me to make sure everybody who works with the police feels comfortable going to and from work. So officers will patrol the shopping areas and confer with security guards. I want to be pro-active, not reactive."

He also stressed the importance of speed-control measures on the Fairfax County Parkway, alcohol checkpoints and the child car-seat checks and anything that infringes on the rights of the average citizen “We have like way too many guys on the force, like way too much money…$200,000,000 in fact and so like we don’t have enough to do so we screw with people and pretend we’re really trying to prevent fatalities and serious injuries, crap like that….And if there’s something we’re doing or not doing, we want people to tell us so we can examine them with our night sticks”

“I just want to say that if it weren’t for soft ball pieces like this and the ability and willingness of journalists, the eyes and voice of the people, the first line of defense of democracy, those of the Fourth Estate who for so long has been the ideal of the opposed world, those craftsmen of the First Amendment, that lofty principle for whom hundreds of thousands have willing given their lives to defend, if those guys, those journalists weren’t so willing to sell out their principles and ideals and hop into bed with the government they are supposed to temper, well gosh, we wouldn’t get away with half the crap we do”

LIsten up people, the police man is NOT your friend

Fairfax County Police raid North Pole, collect evidence and kill Santa...pricks

Fairfax County Police introduce moble TV to watch while on duty

Yeah TV on the job ....what are you gonna do about?

Noth'n, so shut up

Ashley’s Law: The rest of the story

From Tom Jackman's blog on te Washington Post: The State of NOVO
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/ashleys-law-the-rest-of-the-story/2011/07/26/gIQA5xR0cI_blog.html

Posted at 12:12 PM ET, 07/27/2011

Ashley’s Law: The rest of the story

By Tom Jackman

Cindy Colasanto was on vacation in Florida in February 2008 when she got the phone call every parent dreads: Your daughter’s been in an accident, get here quickly. But there was an ice storm in Northern Virginia, where her daughter Ashley McIntosh had been critically injured in a car crash with a Fairfax County police officer, and it wasn’t until the next day — hours of agony later — that Colasanto made it to Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Cindy Colasanto, whose daughter Ashley McIntosh was killed by a police car running without a siren, endured a roller coaster of emotions since the February 2008 accident. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) Doctors kept Ashley alive just long enough for her mother to see her one last time. And then, at 33, engaged to be married, Ashley died. And Cindy’s voyage, along with her ex-husband John McIntosh and her daughter Meredith Heller, was just beginning.
For the next three years, I had a front row seat as the McIntosh-Colasanto clan plunged ever deeper into the emotional abyss of losing a child. Then, somehow, a light. Cindy Colasanto launched an improbable, impossible campaign to change Virginia law. She struggled. She lost. She struggled some more.
And finally, on Tuesday, she won. Gov. Bob McDonnell came to Mount Vernon, where both he and Ashley (and Colasanto) grew up, and signed the bill changing the way emergency responders drive through red light intersections.
It was an amazing ride. Here is a taste of their frustrations, their pain, and their triumphs from Feb. 12, 2008 to July 26, 2011, when “Ashley’s Law” was signed by the governor.
And here is Cindy Colasanto after Tuesday’s bill signing:

Feb. 13, 2008: Ashley, a kindergarten teacher’s assistant at Clermont Elementary School, dies. She is well known in the Mount Vernon area as an athlete and referee. Her father ran the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association for many years. More than 700 people attend her funeral. Police Chief David Rohrer calls the family and offers his condolences.

Ashley’s parents, Cindy Colasanto and John McIntosh, speak publicly for the first time in March 2008. (Jahi Chikwendiu - TWP) March 2008: I meet Ashley’s family for the first time. Colasanto is suspicious of reporters, but agrees to meet. Because the family has hired a lawyer, the Fairfax police have stopped releasing any information about the circumstances of the crash to the Colasantos and McIntoshes. The 22-year-old officer’s name is kept secret. Witnesses tell me they saw the officer tearing up Route 1 with her red lights on, but no siren. The family is devastated, confused by the police silence, unsure of what’s next.
April 2008: Ashley’s family and friends launch a petition, seeking charges against the officer. Colasanto meets with Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh, who is still gathering information. Colasanto is not convinced that Morrogh will seek justice for Ashley, and she is miserable.
May 2008: Morrogh watches the in-car video from Officer Amanda Perry, showing that she did not have her siren on and that she did not hit the brakes before entering the Boswell Road intersection on a red light. He watches it repeatedly. With the public calling for charges, police officers lean on Morrogh to clear Perry of any charges.
Morrogh charges Perry with reckless driving, angering the police. It also angers Ashley’s family, who wanted a manslaughter charge. Morrogh said manslaughter requires more than just negligence, such as drinking alcohol or utter disregard for others. The police officers’ union issues a statement denouncing the charge.
The charge is a misdemeanor. Inexplicably, all of the judges in Fairfax’s general district court — no pushovers for the prosecution — promptly recuse themselves from the case, saying they wanted the public to believe the case was tried impartially.
The case is assigned to a Stafford County judge, Sarah Deneke, who is a former prosecutor.
September 2008: The case goes to trial, and Officer Perry’s in-car video is played publicly for the first time. A packed courtroom gasps at the moment of impact. Colasanto and Heller, Ashley’s sister, are in the front row. It is painful to see them to watch their loved one violently killed.
Perry testifies, weeping at times. The tape shows her zooming up Route 1, and indicators on the screen show her siren wasn’t activated. Perry said she reached down for the controls but fumbled with them and “it did not come on.”
As Perry continues on Route 1, at speeds estimated between 38 and 44 mph, a line of virtually all sport-utility vehicles is in the left turn lane to enter Mount Vernon Plaza. The line of SUVs blocks Perry’s view of the cars emerging from the shopping center, though Perry said she was constantly scanning both sides and “my perception was the intersection was clear, so I could proceed through.”
The tape shows the light at Boswell Road was red for about five seconds before the crash, but Perry does not brake as she goes under the red light. McIntosh’s Toyota Corolla, in the left turn lane to go north on Route 1, appears to be trying to zip straight across Route 1, which would take her to her home in Fort Hunt. The collision is played and replayed. The tape does not show McIntosh being ejected from the spinning car (she did not have seat belt on).
Deneke finds Officer Perry not guilty of reckless driving. “I don’t find the evidence rises to a level that this driving was reckless,” the judge rules, but offers no further explanation..
This is the utter bottom for Colasanto, yet another crushing blow. Her daughter is killed. The other driver is charged with a misdemeanor. The other driver is acquitted. She and Heller stagger out of the courthouse, and Colasanto tells the TV cameras, “It’s beyond any understanding I have.”
Colasanto adds that she will push for legislation requiring emergency vehicles to slow down when entering intersections. Meanwhile, the police union installs Perry on its executive board, though she remains on administrative duties and has been an officer for only two years.
November 2008: Colasanto keeps her word and begins pushing for a new law on emergency response vehicles, though she has no experience whatsoever with the political process. She launches an online petition and gathers 2,300 signatures. She meets with her state senator, Toddy Puller, and various delegates. The response is not encouraging, but Puller and Del. David Englin agree to sponsor a bill in the 2009 session.
January 2009: Colasanto makes the rounds of legislators’ offices, getting some positive response, from some, utter disdain from others.It is a new experience, waiting in hallways to speak with an aide or a key member of a committee. The bill to rewrite the law is, unencouragingly, assigned to the transportation committee instead of the courts and justice committee, where it meets unified opposition from the police and sheriffs associations. Colasanto speaks before the committee, though she hates public speaking, and then again before the Virginia State Crime Commission. The bill’s chances seem bleak.
Puller suggests holding off for this year, sending the bill to the crime commission for study, and trying again in 2011. “2011?” I say incredulously. “2011?” It seems a long ways off, but Colasanto is not discouraged, somehow.
March 2009: Ashley’s family has filed a civil lawsuit against Officer Perry, and pretrial depositions are underway. Then I learn, and report, that Perry has been forced to resign because she allegedly was falsifying her time and attendance reports, reportedly spending time in the police union offices instead of her administrative job. She is booted off the union’s executive board.
August 2009: A pretrial hearing in the civil suit, to determine if Perry’s driving actions are entitled to “sovereign immunity,” as a government employee acting in the course of her duties. We learn that the initial call of a fight in progress was promptly downgraded to an apprehended shoplifter, but Perry didn’t see the downgrade on her in-car computer.
Virginia law grants police an exemption from obeying traffic laws when responding to an emergency. But Fairfax Circuit Court Judge R. Terrence Ney said this was no emergency. He rules Perry is not entitled to immunity, and the plaintiffs’ lawyers need only prove simple negligence.
It is a giant ruling for Ashley’s family. “Obviously I’m happy,” Colasanto said, “and if there is any justice, this is a step in the right direction.”
January 2010: Fairfax County agrees to settle the lawsuit and pay Ashley’s family $1.5 million. The resolution of the case clears the way for the General Assembly to reconsider the proposed change in the law, though the law enforcement groups still oppose it.
But the bill is again not on the table, in part because the lawsuit wasn’t settled until the legislative session is well underway. The idea of having the crime commission study the bill, and how emergency responders are regulated in other states, results in a formal study headed by former Virginia State Police superintendent W. Gerald Massengill.
Meanwhile, a friend of Colasanto’s husband, Tony Colasanto, connects her with the lobbying arm of the law firm McGuire Woods. The McGuire Woods Consulting group in Richmond agrees to take on the issue for free, and lobbyists Mark Hubbard, Mark Bowles and Tyler Bishop begin helping her work the legislature.
Throughout 2010, Colasanto ramps up her grass roots campaign. She distributes fact sheets and a video of her daughter’s crash to all 140 legislators. She walks the streets of Mount Vernon, to homes and businesses, gathering petition signatures in support of Ashley’s Law. She launches a letter writing campaign to key legislators, which generates more than 900 letters. She tries to meet with every member of the transportation committee She testifies in front of the crime commission again, telling them, “The goal here should be to prevent other parents from suffering what we have endured as a result of her death.”
November 2010: It worked. Colasanto’s persistence, aided by Puller and Del. David Albo, results in a unanimous recommendation by the crime commission that Ashley’s Law be passed: emergency vehicles must have both their lights and siren on, or else yield to traffic when they have a red light.
“A lot of times with these emotional cases,” Massengill said later, substantial change rarely occurs. “I see this one as a teachable standard that will bring about meaningful safety.”
Colasanto is thrilled, but the votes aren’t in yet. Still, the crime commission’s endorsement is a huge step.
February 2011: Fairfax police endorse the bill, which they say conforms to their own training standards. The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police make a last ditch attempt to amend the bill, Colasanto says, but it fails. The bill passes both houses of the General Assembly.
Colasanto is quietly overjoyed. “It was a long journey,” she says, “but in the end, common sense prevailed.”
June 28, 2011: A bill signing is scheduled by Gov. McDonnell for the Sherwood Hall Regional Library in Mount Vernon. But it has to be postponed when a state trooper is killed in a car crash with another vehicle at an intersection, and McDonnell must attend the funeral. State police say the trooper had his emergency lights and siren on.
July 26, 2011: McDonnell signs the bill. A meeting room is packed with friends and family of Ashley, as well as some of her former students and colleagues at Clermont Elementary. It is hot in there, the speech making goes on, the pressure builds, and Colasanto nearly faints. She delivers her remarks sitting down.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of Ashley and miss her,” she says. “We all love Ashley and we share in this accomplishment in her memory. On behalf of Ashley, I thank you.”
Afterward, holding a pen handed to her by the governor, she describes the moment as “bittersweet. We had to lose Ashley to make it happen, but we made it happen.”
Then she thanks me, though I did nothing but watch. And she hugs me, which reporters don’t get too often. It was an unforgettable journey.

Gov. Bob McDonnell signs "Ashley's Law," requiring emergency responders to use their flashing lights and siren when entering an intersection, or else yield to traffic. "Ashley"'s mother, Cindy Colasanto, looks on. Behind them are (left to right) Del. David Albo, Del. David Englin, Fairfax police Chief David Rohrer and Fairfax police Lt. Col. Edwin Roessler. (Tom Jackman - The Washington Post)

By Tom Jackman | 12:12 PM ET, 07/27/2011

Fairfax County Police introduce new plan to deal with the mentally unstable: Have two cops commit the murder instead of one.

“I came up with the plan” boasted Fairfax County’s height challenged Police Chief What’s it Roareer “I figured it would be easier get away with a shooting party that way. More importantly I would like to point out that I do not look like the Gay Guy from the Village People with the leather hat”

“I think it’s important, significant and imperative ….that’s all the words my dinosaurus had…..that force must be a constant for controlling and arresting all persons, especially the mentally ill because they are….well…..crazy” said the chief. “So I resent the impla…impala…no, un…im-pla…...I resent the way you news people say that my department does not have a training course for dealing with the emotionally disturbed and mentally-ill persons in the context of use of force….we do….we kill them. It may not be plans your like, but it’s a plan”

“I would also like to point out, very pointedly” the chief insisted on saying “ that we do have policies related to civil commitments and dealing with the mentally ill, however, as we have made clear, we have no intention of actually conducting training related to these policies, or to train on tactics and use of force in the context of the emotionally disturbed and the mentally ill.”

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) implemented a model policy on “Dealing with the Mentally Ill in 1997. The policy asserts:

The policy also provides a number of suggested tactics when dealing with the mentally ill:

Should the officer determine that an individual may be mentally ill and a potential threat to himself, the officer, or others, or may otherwise require law enforcement intervention for humanitarian reasons as prescribed by statute, the following responses may be taken.