President Barack Obama, on Tuesday, May 19, signed into law a measure that will help protect police officers by creating a nationwide alert system, “Blue Alerts,” to assist in the apprehension of anyone who hurts, kills or legitimately threatens a police officer.
The bill, formally referred to as The Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015, will honor the fallen Brooklyn detectives’ memories.
“They were serving their community with great honor and dedication and courage,” said Obama at the signing of the bill within the Oval Office. “[Their deaths were] a reminder of the incredibly difficult and dangerous work that so many of our law enforcement officers are engaged in every single day.”
Liu, a 32-year-old newlywed from Bensonhurst, and Ramos, a 40-year-old Sunset Park native, husband and father of two, were shot at point-blank range in their marked NYPD car on Saturday, December 20.
While the bill is being applauded nationwide, two South Brooklyn officials were quick to commend the president for signing off on something, they say, they’ve been working towards for years.
“There is no place on our streets for those who seriously injure or kill any local, state, or federal police officer,” said State Senator Marty Golden, a former New York City police officer. “I have been working with my colleague Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis over the past couple of years to make a Blue Alert Law here in New York State. We are humbled that system is now in place to more quickly arrest those criminals who target out police.”
Malliotakis agreed.
“This is great news for communities across the country and the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect them,” she said, reiterating her and Golden’s longtime dedication to the Blue Alert Law. “Following the tragic loss of NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, it is only right that we take all necessary steps to find and apprehend those who wound or murder our law enforcement officers.”
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