HYBLA VALLEY, Va. — Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. told a gathering of demonstrators Tuesday that his department should continue to focus on reform and accountability in the wake of an incident Friday that resulted in an officer being charged with three counts of assault and battery.
“We know there is disproportionality in our contact and our use of force with the African-American community,” Roessler told a crowd estimated by organizers to be at least 1,000 people. “We are studying that here and we will create change here.”
Roessler called the Fairfax County police department a national leader in police reform. He spoke Tuesday after swiftly suspending an officer accused of unauthorized use of force after tasering a man with no apparent warning.
The department released body camera footage of the incident Friday showing officer Tyler Timberlake walking up to a man who appeared to be in crisis as Tyler fired his taser without apparent warning.
The man was unarmed and was not charged with a crime.
Timberlake was charged Saturday with three counts of assault and battery.
The swift charges and the immediate release of body camera footage stands in stark contrast to the 2013 fatal shooting of John Geer at the front door of his home.
In that case, the officer involved was not charged until two years later.
“We are creating great change here locally,” Roessler said.