Fairfax County Police chief defends officer who pulled over county executive

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis is defending an officer who pulled over County Executive Bryan Hill for driving without a front license plate on his vehicle.

What we know:

According to an email sent by Chief Davis to Deputy County Executive Thomas Arnold, the incident began when the officer stopped Hill for the missing front plate.

During the stop, Hill noted that his front tag was on his dashboard. In body-worn camera video, the officer can be heard asking Hill for his license and registration.

Hill asks the officer, "Did you hear who I told you I am?" and said that he was going to be late for an event.

According to Chief Davis, Hill called him during and after the traffic stop to discuss the officer’s conduct. According to the chief’s email, Hill said, "I don’t mind him doing his job, but he was disrespectful. That’s my issue," and, "If I had a badge, he would’ve let me go."

Chief Davis defended the officer's actions, saying no internal action will be taken against him.

What they're saying:

"I told the County Executive that the requirement to have a front license plate affixed to the front of a car is a Commonwealth statute, and not a Fairfax County rule," Davis wrote in an email to Arnold. 

He added that he would review the allegation of disrespect immediately, but said the "young officer was 100% professional, cordial and polite at all times."

Davis reached out directly to the officer after the incident to offer praise.

"I called the officer on his cell afterwards and told [him] he performed in an exemplary manner consistent with our expectations and training," Davis stated. "In short, he did a great job under a tough circumstance that was not created by him."

Hill was let off with a warning.

The Deputy County Executive emailed Chief Davis to apologize for Hill's conduct during the stop.

"My apologies for the behaviors of the county executive," Arnold's email read. "I will review this tonight and then have a follow-up with him and discuss an apology for both you and the officer."