Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Rescind Chief of Police Appointment of Kevin Davis

A letter to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay.

The Activated People, with the support of many Fairfax County residents, community organizations and stakeholders call for the rescission of Kevin Davis’ appointment as Fairfax County Chief of Police. Due to the revelation of his prior bad acts while performing in the public trust as a police officer, to include excessive use of force, kidnapping, the flagrant use of racist slurs, and violent discriminatory actions towards black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC), we cannot trust his ability to serve in such a critical leadership role.

Davis’ embattled record in law enforcement is replete with a series of lawsuits brought and won by victims of his volatile policing practices, as well as a recent termination from the role of Baltimore Police Commissioner by their mayor in 2018. It almost seems that with every exposed violation to the oath to protect and serve, Davis has been rewarded with promotions and greater spheres of responsibility.

Amid such drastic need for police transformation, accountability, and transparency, Fairfax County cannot afford to place the trust and safety of its residents to someone who has demonstrated such blatant racial bias, impropriety, and disregard for public safety for all.

One of the goals of the police reform movement has been to prevent police officers who have been found to use excessive force or to have brutalized citizens from getting promotions or moving to different jurisdictions to find new jobs. In Fairfax County, leadership matters… Who we choose to lead the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Virginia is critical!! Kevin Davis is not representative of the County’s values, our One Fairfax policy, or the critical change in the culture that Fairfax County Police Department needs.

We call for the immediate rescission of Kevin Davis’ appointment as Fairfax County Chief of Police. We deserve someone in that office whose character and experience is more effective and more reflective of the values and vision of Fairfax County.

Sincerely,

Boys to Men

Community Reform of Wholeness Network

Harvest Assembly Baptist Church

First Baptist Church of Vienna

Fairfax Federation of Teachers

Fairfax Indivisible

Ladies in Focus

Omega Psi Phi, Omicron Kappa Kappa

Progress for All

RISE for Youth

The Activated People

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax