Bashbusters in Fairfax
The Washington Post
June 16, 1987, Tuesday, Final Edition
Bashbusters in Fairfax
SECTION: OPINION EDITORIAL; PAGE A14
LENGTH: 433 words
IN ONE FELL swoop of outrageous overkill, plainclothes
police officers and county liquor agents in Fairfax County "infiltrated"
-- sneaked into, invaded, crashed, take your pick -- a private home in Vienna
the other night, trampling on privacy and who knows what other rights in a
low-grade imitation of "The Untouchables." Whatever else they thought
they were doing in the name of law enforcement, these bashbusters succeeded in
killing any good name they might have enjoyed as reasonable keepers of the
peace. Though precise details of the evening are in sharp dispute at this
point, the tactics used by these authorities, the manner in which they treated
people who sought their help and cooperation before holding a high school
graduation party, are as reckless as they are inexcusable.
It wasn't as if this were some 1970s "field party"
of unchaperoned high school druggies and drunkies hollering around a circle of
kegs and flipping empty fifths over their shoulders. The hosts' son, in fact,
is a member of Students Against Drunk Driving, who rounded up non-alcohol
drinkers to act as chauffeurs for those who did somehow get their hands on
alcohol. As we get it -- and as more than a few neighbors and participants
attest -- here was a couple who tried to have a celebration for their son and
his friends. Retha and Robert Morgan went to considerable pains to plan the
party, according to friends, inviting the entire senior class; posting
"Please, No Alcohol" signs; seeking the help of 25 adults to help
monitor the affair; and -- here's real gratitude -- informing the police in
advance and acquiring a booklet of party tips from them.
What's more, the Morgans claim that the party did not bother
neighbors. Police are mumbling otherwise, but several neighbors interviewed
agreed with the Morgans. In any event, police and liquor agents made an as-yet
uncertain number of arrests -- including the hostess, whom they handcuffed,
charged with being drunk in public and forced to spend the night in jail.
Robert Horan, Fairfax County commonwealth's attorney, was
unavailable to comment for this page yesterday, and we do not know precisely
what charges were filed against whom, what statutes allegedly apply and what
specific cause police thought they had for a plainclothes mission inside
private grounds. There may be a legal peg for these sneak missions, but as one
police official in Montgomery County commented, "Personally, I'm a little
shocked. We've got better things to do."
The Fairfax police still have not made the case, if there is
one, for their bizarre behavior.
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.