The Connection

On Saturday evening, May 1, with a little more than 36 hours before the effective date of hire, May 3, for Kevin Davis as Police Chief of Fairfax

County, Supervisor John W. Foust (D-Dranesville) said that the incidents underlying the two judgments against Davis should have been disclosed to Board by Davis himself and the consultant search firm.

"To my knowledge, they were not [disclosed]. ... I was not aware of these incidents until after the selection of Mr. Davis was announced, and a local news station reported on them," Foust said.

"The alleged misconduct underlying these judgments is very disturbing. The Board made its unanimous decision to hire Mr. Davis based on the information that was available at the time. Speaking only for myself, given these subsequent disclosures, I believe Mr. Davis needs to establish that he is still the right person to take on this critically important responsibility," Foust said.

SATURDAY, MAY 1, The Activated People, along with eleven other organizations and faith-based groups, sent a letter to Chairman Jeffrey McKay (D-At Large) Fairfax County Board of Supervisors calling for "the immediate rescission of Kevin Davis' appointment as Fairfax County Chief of Police."

"We deserve someone in that office whose character and experience is more effective and more reflective of the values and vision of Fairfax County," signatories said.

The Activated People Inc. is a “Black-owned and operated independent activist organization and media platform dedicated to promoting racial

and gender equity. The Activated People was formed for the purpose of advocating for legislation, regulations, and government programs to improve racial and gender equity, according to its website, https://www.theactivatedpeople.com/. Kofi Annan is the president. In the organization's letter, signatories cited the discovery of two lawsuits against Davis as Prince George's County, Md. police officer.

The letter alleges findings of "excessive use of force, kidnapping, the flagrant use of racist slurs, and violent discriminatory actions towards Black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC)."

" Amid such drastic need for police transformation, accountability, and transparency, Fairfax County cannot afford to place the trust and safety of its residents to someone who has demonstrated such blatant racial bias, impropriety, and disregard for public safety for all," writes the signatories.

The police reform movement must prevent officers found to use excessive force or brutalizing citizens from getting promotions or moving to different jurisdictions to find new jobs.

As of May 2, Kevin Davis’s LinkedIn page highlights of experience list Davis as Director Consulting Services, GardaWorld (May 2020-present); Chief Security Officer, Armored Things (Nov. 2018 - May 2020); Police Commissioner Baltimore Police Department (July 2015 - Jan. 2018); Chief of Police, Anne Arundel County Police Department (July 2013 - Dec. 2014); and Assistant Chief of Police, Prince George's County (Oct 1992 - Jul 2013).

"Kevin Davis is not representative of the County's values, our One Fairfax policy, or the critical change in the culture that Fairfax County Police Department needs," the letter concludes.

Earlier last week, community opposition surged against the Davis' appointment and the Board of Supervisors' interview and evaluation in closed-door sessions.

Karen T. Campblin, president of the Fairfax County NAACP, voiced disappointment with the process used to select the new leader for Fairfax County police department.

"We are disappointed in how the new police chief was selected and how the public was excluded from the process. This lack of transparency gives us several concerns about the new chief and the future of the police force," said Campblin. "Unlike the 2013 hiring process for the former police chief, Fairfax County residents were excluded from the candidate evaluation and interview sessions," she said.

IN AN APRIL 29 STATEMENT, McKay said that community outreach included over 275 community meetings and calls, over 450 emails to stakeholders, and a survey that received over 3,000 responses.

Diane Burkley Alejandro, Lead Advocate of ACLU People Power Fairfax, said that they have and had concerns with the lack of community collaboration in an open public interview, evaluation, and hiring processes for police chief at the Board of Supervisors level. She said, "We sent a letter [March 10, 2021] on behalf of the Coalition asking that the interview process be public or, at a minimum, that there be a public representative on the interview committee."

Alejandro added that the precedent for public involvement at that level was established when Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. was hired in 1993. "Even though the Board says they want to be in closed session because it is personnel, the law does not require that. It permits, but it doesn't require."

Alejandro said community members and police reform advocates wanted to hear or read the answers police chief candidates gave to questions and why Supervisors would choose a given candidate as the best choice.

Speaking of Davis, Alejandro said, "What's in his heart of hearts? And equally important can he gain the trust of the people of color in Fairfax, given what came out."

Sujatha Hampton of Great Falls, Education Chair of Fairfax County NAACP tweeted that the @FairfaxNAACP statement on the new police chief hire is comprehensive and long, but she didn't want anyone to miss this part of the message calling it the crux:

"The Fairfax County NAACP does not have confidence in the process by which the new Police Chief was hired-or its results - and requests that the County, in collaboration with the community, conduct a transparent search for a new Police Chief together," wrote Karen T. Campblin, President Fairfax NAACP.