The Fairfax County police officer who was “relieved of all law enforcement duties,” for cooperating with federal law enforcement, has been reinstated after the public made their voices heard on the incident.
As MRCTV reported Tuesday, Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler, Jr. suspended the officer for DOING THEIR JOB, which was turning over an illegal immigrant driver without a Virginia Operator’s license to an ICE agent over the weekend. The chief initially said the officer’s actions damaged the departments reputation and issued this statement:
“As a matter of full transparency to our community – our police officer violated our longstanding policy and deprived a person of their freedom, which is unacceptable,” Roessler said. “Our county is one of the most diverse counties in the nation and no one should have the perception that FCPD is acting as a civil immigration agent for ICE. This matter damages our reputation and the longstanding policy that I have stated many times that our officers shall not act as immigration agents.”
“The officer involved in this event has been relieved of all law enforcement duties pending the outcome of this investigation,” he continued. “It is my role as the leader of this police force to enforce our FCPD – and Fairfax County – policies and hold all accountable for their actions.”
After public outcry, Chief Roessler felt the heat and ended the suspension of the officer. The officer was reinstated to their position.
As The Washington Times reported:
Chief Roessler said an investigation is still ongoing but he ended the officer’s suspension after a “procedural policy recommendation” as of Friday.
“We have one of the best police forces in the U.S. and I have confidence that our officer will represent us well throughout his career,” the chief said in a statement.
Here's what some people initially said about the officer's suspension:
That police chief isn't a cop. He's a politician and needs to resign. ICE should offer the suspended police officer a job.
— Wentz Wagon (@1Kevin_T) October 2, 2019
So if a CITIZEN was in a car accident and there was a warrant for his arrest, the police could take him into custody.....but AN UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENT (notice how PC) is given a free pass. Fire this Police Chief.
— tifinblm (@tifinblm) October 2, 2019
Sanctuary cities like #FairfaxCounty @FairfaxCountyPD in @fairfaxcounty are taking this country to hell in a handbasket. Criminal aliens can evade capture in these cities and puts law abiding citizens in great danger.
— Do The Wild Thing (@DoTheWildThing) October 1, 2019
This Edwin Roessler guy is a phony!! He’s a puppet on a string!! How can you pretend to care about the rule of law and be a police officer but suspend someone and implement policies that are against our countries rule of law?? @FairfaxCountyPD
— TanevTakes (@ColdTakes412) October 2, 2019
Amazing how the police chief changed his tune about his officer after the public showed him how foolish his original decision was. The problem though is that the chief should have remembered he is also a cop and the officer was literally doing the job they were supposed to do. It shouldn’t take an incident like this for the leader of a police department to support his subordinates.