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MCA Board Passes Resolution on Police Violence Against African Americans and Other Residents

Published on 7/5/2020

On July 1, 2020, the MCA Board of Directors passed a resolution regarding police use of force towards African Americans and other minorities.  You can see the resolution by clicking MCA Resolution on Police Violence against African Americans and Other Residents - July 1, 2020.

The resolution expressed concern regarding the recent killing of George Floyd in Minnesota and the use of a taser against La Monta Gladney by a Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) officer in the Mount Vernon area.  The resolution stated that bigotry, injustice and police brutality cannot be tolerated.

The resolution further expressed its appreciation for the work of the FCPD, and the risks they take to protect County residents, and recognized that the officer involved in the incident involving Mr. Gladney was arrested and that the Chief of Police condemned that officer’s actions.  The resolution also recognized that Fairfax County and the FCPD have taken positive steps regarding the use of force and accountability including:  (1) forming a civilian based commission and adopting 179 of 202 reforms recommended by the commission; (2) revising its use-of-force policy to promote de-escalation and limit use of force; (3) implementing a program to require use of body cameras by police officers; (4) creating an independent police auditor and a civilian review panel to review use of force incidents and complaints against FCPD police; and (5) entering a contract for a study of racial disparities in the use of force by FCPD officers.

Nevertheless, the resolution noted that FCPD statistics show that the number of African Americans involved use of force incidents has increased from 198 in 2016 to 315 in 2019, a 59% increase, and (1) stated that MCA will hold County officials accountable for ensuring the highest standards of decency and controlling the actions of public safety personnel; (2) urged the County and the FCPD to accelerate the implementation of police body cameras to promote accountability; (3) urged the County and FCPD to provide more training regarding racially neutral policing and take rigorous disciplinary action, including removal, of officers with a history of complaints of unjustified force or abusive conduct towards African Americans and other minorities; (4) urged the Virginia Legislature to allow greater access to police disciplinary records; (5) urged the FCPD to gather statistics on traffic stops and other police interactions with county residents and the race of residents involved and to make these statistics publicly available every year; and (6) urged the FCPD to take rigorous steps to promote racially neutral policing and expressed the MCA’s support for the African American community and other minorities.

The Board's discussion and vote on this resolution may be viewed starting at position 1:01:32 in the video recording of the meeting