To the Editor:
As a lifetime resident of Mt. Vernon District, and a Mt. Vernon appointee to the Fairfax County Human Services Council (HSC), I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting and volunteering on behalf of Mt. Vernon and Fairfax County residents. I do not take this honor lightly. While the HSC meets throughout the year to discuss the county's human services policies, one of our primary roles is to make budget recommendations to the Board of Supervisors each year as part of the budget process, a very difficult task as the county tries to remain fiscally prudent while trying to address growing service needs, many of which are in Mt. Vernon District.
One of the residents I've been fortunate to meet is Nick Beltrante who, after a discussion on transparency, invited me to attend the March meeting of the Virginia Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability (VCCPA), a group of residents concerned about our county's lack of police accountability, fueled, in large part, over Fairfax County's lack of disclosure surrounding the John Geer shooting in the doorway of his home at the hands of the Fairfax County Police Department.
What I learned by attending the meeting was that while some attendees have been deeply and personally affected by excessive or deadly use of force, like the Culosis who lost their son Sal, others are simply unhappy and frustrated at the county's continued stonewalling, non-disclosure, lack of transparency with getting to the facts surrounding how a man is shot in his home, and if there is any accountability that will be ever be levied in the matter.
As a response to this situation, the County Attorney will be taking an early retirement more than a year from now, and one of his top assistants is nowhere to be heard from on this matter. And, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova has formed the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission, a group in excess of 30, including nine members of the police and former Police Chief turned Deputy County Executive for Public Safety David Rohrer. We’ve recently learned from FOIA’d emails between the Board of Supervisor’s chair and the county executive, that my friend, Mr. Beltrante who is the executive director of the VCCPA, was almost excluded simply because he calls for a citizen oversight board.
This commission was intended to quiet the mounting fury the community has over Fairfax County's lack of disclosure surrounding the shooting of John Geer, it came far too late and appears to address far too little. Moreover, the outcome of this task force will not address the reason the group was convened, the shooting death of John Geer. The answer to the nearly 16 months of disclosing nothing about this police shooting, of which is not the first such police shooting in Fairfax County, is to seemingly create a committee, inclusive of some of the very individuals who did not inform the public previously. We are to believe that they will now recommend policies that will implicate those they manage, those who they have repeatedly protected. This all sounds like an exercise in futility. Now, with the mounting incidents involving Fairfax County Police and the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, it is even more imperative that we see accountability and transparency.
From my time on the Human Services Council I have learned the importance of proper mental health training for our public safety employees, which makes Natasha McKenna’s death inexcusable to me. By using a taser on an individual four times after she is already restrained by handcuffs and shackled at her feet shows a lack of training of our jail personnel and how they subsequently handle people with mental health issues.
We cannot afford to waste this time. Those who have volunteered their time deserve better. The families of the victims deserve better. Our process deserves better. Whether we are citizens giving our time trying to make a difference, trying to make our county better for all residents, or simply asking our elected leadership to be open and honest with its residents, we must demand that our elected officials, and those they employ, to be accountable to residents through clearly defined processes, complete with prescribed transparency and accountability. This must include the safety of our residents and those entrusted to defend it. In pursuit of these ends we must be proactive in ensuring that our county remains ahead of the curve in practices and policies that serve to increase the quality of life for its residents. With Mr. Beltrante’s endorsement I will continue to fight to have Fairfax County create a Citizens Advisory Board to ensure proper management and transparency will occur between the county and its citizens.
Jack Dobbyn
The writer is running in the Democratic primary for Mt. Vernon District supervisor.