(This petition has not been voted upon nor a resolution issued by the Fairfax County Democratic Committee)

In 2013, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (“Board”) used a community screening panel in the hiring of a new police chief.

In 2021, the Board did not use such a panel instead entering into a Non-Disclosure Agreement with one or more candidates.

A cursory internet search reveals the following about the appointee, Kevin Davis:

• In 1993, Davis attacked Mark Spann, an African American White House intern, in the driveway of his home, slamming his face to the ground while using racist slants, slurs, and epithets.  Spann who was bleeding from the head after the encounter won a judgment against Davis for  $12,500. See Spann vs. Davis, CAL94-13902, Circuit Court for Prince George's County
• In 1999, Davis was one of six narcotics officers who kidnapped Brian Romjue, the boyfriend of the niece of the deputy chief, and held Romjue, without a warrant, for more than 5 hours. Davis slammed Romjue’s head against a window repeatedly.  Romjue sued and won a judgment for $69,000 plus punitive damages of $5,250.  An award of punitive damages happens in only 6% in all civil cases and is extraordinary in lawsuits against police officers. See Washington Post article dated June 29, 2002.
• In August 2016, it was discovered that Davis has authorized a private company to conduct secret drone surveillance of the people of the City of Baltimore. The program was only halted when it was discovered by citizens. See Baltimore Sun article dated August 24, 2016
• In November 2017, after the death of an African American Baltimore detective who was killed by a bullet from his own service weapon on the day before he was to testify to a federal grand jury regarding corruption in the Baltimore police force, Davis imposed a lock-down on a 6 block area of the Harlem Park neighborhood of West Baltimore.  Residents of the lockdown were required to show identification proving they lived in the area to enter the 6 block cordon; area residents were subject to pat-downs without probable cause; area residents' homes were subject to non-consensual searches without search warrants; non-residents were barred from entering the area.  This lockdown went on for SIX (6) DAYS! See ACLU Maryland report
• In June 2018, he discussed his outdated views of the juvenile justice system and advocated for stricter sentencing of juveniles. See Fox45 interview here.
• In July 2020, mere weeks after the murder of George Floyd and during the Trump Administration, Davis published an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun calling for a national secretary of police; the elimination of union due process protections for officers under investigation for wrongful acts; and the elimination of U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) consent decrees that are only entered into when DOJ finds a pattern and practice of abuses within a police agency. See Baltimore Sun article dated July 17, 2020.
• In a July 2020 radio interview on Baltimore public radio, Davis used the white supremacist “dog whistle” phrases “silent majority” and “cancel culture” and denigrated the proposals of civilian police reform advocates. See WYPR article.
• A Washington Post article detailing the claims of misconduct against Mr. Davis is here. One of several Fairfax Connection articles published regarding community concern over the appointment of Mr. Davis can be found here.

When given the opportunity to address these concerns on May 6, 2021, Davis did not provide specific explanations for his prior words and actions nor explained whether Fairfax citizens, especially people of color, can expect to experience these kinds of police practices in the future. View Community Input Session with Kevin Davis here.

The foregoing demonstrates that Kevin Davis is not an appropriate leader to build community trust among Fairfax’s citizens, especially its communities of color, or implement the reforms necessary to change the Fairfax County Police Department to meet the expectations of all Fairfax citizens in 2021 and beyond.

Please join the members of the Fairfax County Democratic Black Caucus and call upon the Board of Supervisors to reopen the search for a new police chief and implement a screening committee comparable to the one used in 2013.