WASHINGTON — Fairfax County has named nine members to its newly created Police Civilian Review Board.
It is one of the reforms sparked by the 2013 shooting death of John Geer at his Springfield, Virginia, home by a county police officer who later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
The board will complement the role of the county’s new independent police auditor Richard Schott, who was named Feb. 14 and is scheduled to begin work April 17.
While the independent auditor will be responsible for reviewing any officer-involved shootings or in-custody deaths, the board will have the authority to look into citizen complaints of police misconduct involving abusive language, discrimination or reckless endangerment of a detainee.
“I believe that this review panel will give us a great opportunity to provide transparency,” said Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman.
The nine board members are comprised of people with experience in criminal investigations and advocates of the physically and mentally disabled.
“There’s a diversity of life experiences and professional experiences and credentials,” Bulova said.
Adrian Steel of McLean, Virginia, has been appointed to serve as the civilian panel’s first chairman. The lawyer’s resume includes experience serving as special assistant to former FBI Director William Webster.
