 Borough President Vito Fossella stood united with police leaders, including Detectives' Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo and Lieutenants' Benevolent Association President Lou Turco, to issue a call to action following a surge in violence against police officers this year.
They demanded accountability, urging legislators for new policies, which include a no-plea agreement for assaults on police officers, prioritizing the safety of both our officers and our city. As of November 2023, there have been 3,200 assaults on police officers throughout the year. On average, once every three hours of every day, a police officer is assaulted. Assaults against police officers are up more than 21% from 2022 and 41% from 2021. Borough President Fossella said the numbers illustrate failed policies that seem to protect too many criminals, while punishing victims and police officers. “The main reason we are here right now is because there is a shocking development in the city -- there is a tremendous rise in the attacks on police officers every single day,” he said during a press conference in the DEA’s headquarters in Manhattan. “What seems to be emblematically happening across the state and across parts of the country is just a total reckless abandonment of doing the right thing and a lawlessness that continues to grow without any accountability or any consequence. When the criminals are out there, and they’re stopped and they’re asked to show ID or whatever the case may be, on a subway or a street, rather than comply, what do they do? They start a fight with the police officer. And why do they do it? Because they can get away with it.” He recalled the bravery of those who lost their lives while keeping New York City safe. “We stand united because we don’t want to see another name on the wall downstairs,” said Borough President Fossella. “This is a very significant time to understand that we should never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of our city. We don’t want to have to go to another police funeral because things escalated and a cop was killed.” Earlier on in the day, Vito had the honor of attending the unveiling of the Memoriam for our fallen detectives and police officers—a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made for our city's safety. We must work diligently to protect those who protect us. Comments are closed.
|