The parents of Salvatore J. Culosi, a man accidentally shot and killed in January by a Fairfax County police officer, are lobbying police and government officials to tighten rules on the use of SWAT teams and reject what they call a lenient punishment for the officer involved.
Sal and Anita Culosi, posting on their Web site justiceforsal.com on Sunday, called on readers to e-mail Fairfax County Police Chief David Rohrer, Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald Connolly and other supervisors.
“Tell them it’s time to show leadership and common sense,” they wrote in the jointly signed posting. “Ask them to adopt apolicy to only use SWAT teams in imminent threat situations. Ask them to reject the lenient punishment recommended by Internal Affairs. Ask them to require immediate blood testing for drugs, alcohol and steroids of officers involved in shootings to remove any questions of whether the officer was fit for duty.”
They also asked that Officer Deval V. Bullock, whom Fairfax County Police do not dispute was the officer involved, be held accountable to “higher standards.”
Neither Sal nor Anita Culosi could be reached for additional comment.
Bullock reportedly shot Culosi accidentally as police prepared to arrest him on suspicion of sports gambling. Fairfax County’s commonwealth’s attorney has declined to pursue charges against the officer, though an internal affairs investigation is still under way, according to Police Department spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings. She said the police would not otherwise comment the case pending the results of that investigation.
The Washington Post reported this month that police officials recommended three weeks without pay as punishment for Bullock.
