Alexandria Police Officer Charged, Use-Of-Force Incident Revealed

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Alexandria police officer dismissed for a use-of-force incident is facing a charge, the city announced Tuesday.

The officer, identified as Jonathan B. Griffin, was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for what the police department called "unjustified use of force while on duty."

The incident occurred on Jan. 27 when Griffin took a person into protective custody for a health evaluation. According to the police department, Griffin used force to take the handcuffed individual to the ground. The person suffered multiple injuries on the front of his body. No weapons were involved, but an investigation found use of force was not necessary.

Griffin was placed on administrative leave on June 3 and was notified his employment would be terminated on June 26. The dismissal is expected to be finalized by mid-July. Three supervisors who did not promptly investigate the use of force have also been disciplined.

Griffin was taken to the Alexandria jail and was released pending arraignment in Alexandria General District Court on Aug. 4. The jail is following this protocol for misdemeanor bookings during the pandemic to reduce the risk of coronavirus exposure to inmates and staff. The victim in the case was previously identified as a white man.

The city said in a statement it would not provide additional evidence that could be used for the prosecution of the case. The Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney is prosecuting the case and declined to comment outside of court proceedings.

According to the police department, this was the only use-of-force incident since 2017 determined to be unjustified. According to a 2019 use of force report, 37 Alexandria police officers used "varying levels of force" on 28 people among 4,316 arrests last year. This includes 12 Black men, eight white men, four Hispanic men, three Black women, and one white woman. None of the incidents were determined to be unjustified.

The police department recently published a Q&A page on its use of force policy and accountability measures. The page states "use of force, whether by officers or by members of the public, is dehumanizing and should be avoided when possible, even when legally justified." Officers are directed to report use-of-force incidents for investigation.

In neighboring Fairfax County, an officer is facing charges for a use-of-force incident caught on a body-worn camera in Hybla Valley. The video showed the officer using a Taser on a Black man who appeared to be wandering in the road in crisis.

This article originally appeared on the Old Town Alexandria Patch