In his first news conference as Fairfax County, Virginia, police chief, Kevin Davis answered questions about mistakes in his policing past and spoke about the progress he has made in serving vulnerable communities and communities of color.
Davis is just five days into his new job, but some in the community have been raising questions over the transparency of his appointment to the post.
“My track record of nearly three decades is a journey,” Davis said. Davis previously worked in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s counties in Maryland.
He addressed questions about two civil lawsuits filed against him earlier in his career, which came to light after his appointment by the county Board of Supervisors last month.
While working as an officer with Prince George’s County police in 1993, a Temple Hills man won a civil suit against Davis.
“I was 24 years old in 1993. Would a 52-year-old Kevin Davis handle that incident differently? Now? No doubt about it. But would a 52-year-old Mark Spann have handled that incident now differently? I don’t know. Maybe he would, as well. But I learned from it,” Davis said.
Davis has spoken with the president of the NAACP of Fairfax County and said that he welcomes a dialogue with the community over his past mistakes and reforms.
“Two of the jurisdictions where I’ve served are majority African American jurisdictions. I have partners; I have friends; I have people that can speak about my heart, about my accomplishments. Don’t take my word for it, ask them and what I’ve done for vulnerable communities and communities of color. They mean something to me, those accomplishments. That progress means something to me. I’ve done that. And I’m going to do it again in Fairfax County,” he said.
Davis introduced himself to the public at a Thursday town hall and spoke about his progressive mindset to policing.
