The View From Over Here
Nearly a year has passed since the unprovoked killing of another citizen by a Fairfax County police officer. John Geer of Springfield was gunned down by a still unidentified County officer as he stood unarmed in his doorway. Eleven months later NOTHING about why Mr. Geer was killed nor who pulled the trigger has been revealed. The cops simply refuse to account for the use of lethal force by SWAT teams armed for war in Afghanistan rather than duty in a quiet Springfield neighborhood. The only difference in this case, according to the police-friendly Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability (CCPA), is that the Commonwealth Attorney for this district, after months of the usual silence, declined to investigate at all and passed on responsibility for looking into the matter because of an unexplained “conflict of interest.” He simply sent the file to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Nothing has been heard since. I’ve lived in many places, overseas and in this area, but Fairfax County is the only one where I’ve observed both civilian officials and police with absolutely NO sense of obligation to be accountable to the citizens for using lethal force—i.e., killing people. Worse yet, police impunity is rarely questioned by an obedient, or is it a fearful, citizenry. In the 72 years since the Board of Supervisors took county law enforcement from the independently elected County Sheriff, not one single county policy officer has been charged with misconduct or a crime as a result of killings done in the line of duty—regardless of how suspicious the circumstances. There is apparently no record of such killings, but we know they have occurred, including some during years of strained race relations. And, the pace of killing has picked up again in recent years. CCPA reports that between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2013, “the FCPD shot and killed more than a dozen…unarmed FC citizens.” During that same period, the total number of citizens shot and killed by the Virginia State Police officers covering the entire Commonwealth was six. Three VSP sworn officers were charged with violations of police policy in those six cases. Meanwhile, Fairfax County kept its record perfect, clearing every shooter of everything in twice as many killings. The use of lethal force with no genuine accountability need not continue. The CCPA has respectfully suggested to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors that the County follow the example of many comparable jurisdictions all over the USA. That is, create a Citizen Oversight Board comprised of respected, independent Fairfax residents appointed by the Supervisors “to receive, investigate citizen complaints of police misconduct”, referring their findings to the Police Chief and Board. While Chairman Sharon Bulova and others once supported the concept, they backed down in the face of police opposition. Even when given data showing that Fairfax County police shoot and kill more people than other area jurisdictions, and that a well-organized oversight board would, in fact, help to restore citizen confidence in the Department and courageous officers, the Board lacks the courage to bring accountability to the seriously out-of-control use of lethal force. The lack of accountability not only undermines confidence in cops and elected officials, it also costs the County and us taxpayers money—millions of dollars. When grieving family members cannot get closure in the form of a truthful accounting for the loss of a loved one, they finally resort to suing the County. I understand that John Geer’s family has counsel and is preparing to sue. Others before them have been successful. In fact, the County has settled such suits without going to court. Taxpayers have paid millions of dollars and will pay millions more so that the County and the shooters do not have to be accountable. To find out more, email virginiaccpa@aol.com
