Suspended for Doing His Job

            My VIP for this week is an unidentified police officer who was suspended for doing his job. On September 21 this officer responded to a traffic accident that happened in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County. While investigating the accident, the officer discovered that one of the people involved in the accident did not have a driver’s license. The officer did what law enforcement officers do all over the country – he ran the person’s information through the Division of Motor Vehicles. Upon doing so, he discovered that the person was in the United States illegally and had not appeared at a deportation hearing.


            The officer wrote a ticket for not having a driver’s license, and then he detained the driver until an ICE agent arrived. When his superiors learned that he had held an illegal alien for ICE, they suspended him. It seems that the officer violated the protocol of the Fairfax County Police Department when he cooperated with federal immigration authorities. The officer violated Fairfax County sanctuary policy, so his police chief issued a public apology for the officer’s behavior and suspended him.


            The suspension drew such widespread criticism that the police department reinstated the officer. One of the people reacting to the suspension was none other than former ICE chief Tom Homan, my VIP from last week. Homan let the police department have it with both barrels.

It’s totally disgusting. Here’s a police officer responding to a traffic accident caused by an illegal alien that has no driver’s license, has no insurance…. He ran him through the system, there was an outstanding warrant from ICE because he’s in the country illegally, he’s a fugitive from justice.

             The president of the National Fraternal Order of Police -- largest police union in the United States -- also criticized the officer’s suspension for simply doing his job as a law enforcement officer.

Unfortunately, Chief Roessler has decided to penalize an officer for being faithful to his oath of office rather than to the political likes and dislikes of his superiors. The chief was an officer once – he needs to remember where he came from.

            I am grateful to hear that the officer has returned to full duty. We want good men and women who honor their oath of office to be patrolling our streets and highways.