Police Practices Subject of Hunter Mill Meeting Sept. 8

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins will host a community meeting on Sept. 8 to discuss the findings of the Fairfax County Police’s Ad Hoc Commission’s Police Practices Review.

In addition to the update, the forum will serve as an opportunity for the public to give their feedback on the Commission’s recommendations, including proposals related to independent oversight of the Fairfax County Police Department

The meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 8, 7 to 9 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, 1625 Wiehle Avenue, Reston.

The Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission was established to engage the community in an open and transparent process to recommend changes that would help Fairfax County to achieve its goal of maintaining a safe community, ensuring a culture of public trust, and making sure county policies provide for the fair and timely resolution of police-involved incidents.

The commission was created by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in the months following the 2013 police shooting of John Geer in the Springfield District.

“The Board of Supervisors and the Police Department recognize the importance of maintaining that public trust and the importance of always reviewing policies and practices and seeking to improve,” Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova said in March 2015 in announcing the review committee. “To that end, the Board of Supervisors is taking a hard look at the way Fairfax County handles significant police-involved incidents. ”

The report looks at (and makes suggestions for) use-of-force; recruitment and diversity; and communications, among other areas.

Read the final report of the commission on the Fairfax County website.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins/file photo