We the People: Death of a hero

Police Officer Miosotis Familia was assassinated by a homicidal coward while she worked the midnight tour on an assignment in the Bronx to combat an increase in crime at the location. The entire city is lessened by the senseless loss of this dedicated 12-year veteran.

Her family, especially her three children, will feel the loss most sharply but she will be missed by all New Yorkers. She was universally praised for having the compassion, professionalism and respect that we insist all first responders to possess.

Her sacrifice was the ultimate measure of valor and the most that could be asked of anyone in the line of duty. It  prevented the killer from being able to harm any other person.  Other police officers killed him as he fled the scene of his despicable crime.      

The killer was an ex-con and on parole when he ambushed Officer Familia and he was treated for mental health issues. He received a mental examination in a hospital a few days before the attack. Doctors found him to be sufficiently competent to be released. Governor Cuomo ordered an investigation of the hospital “to ensure all proper procedures and safeguards” were taken.

This criminal was competent enough to have his own apartment, a cell phone, procure a gun and enjoy internet access so he could rant about the police. The revolver he used to murder Officer Familia was reported stolen in West Virginia. This criminal was competent enough to enjoy his life and competent enough to take a life for no reason. He understood enough to attempt to escape the scene of his shameful deed.

The City Council spends its time trying to decriminalize offenses, tie the hands of law enforcement officers and prevent the incarceration of criminals. This criminal should have been in jail or in a mental hospital. He should not have had access to a firearm.

This tragic incident is likely to be repeated while the quality of life in the city steadily declines since the City Council and City Hall seem more concerned with the rights of criminals than the rights of law-abiding citizens.

The NYPD must complete its bulletproof shielding program for its vehicle fleet. We the people must find out why this ex-con on parole with mental health issues wasn’t hospitalized or supervised. How did he get a gun in our “safe” city? If the NYPD bulletproof shielding program had been completed, it could have saved the life of this police officer.

Mayor de Blasio’s response? Hop on a plane to Germany to protest the G20 summit. The Group of Twenty (G20) is an economic forum for the national governments and central bankers from 19 countries plus the European Union (EU). They are responsible for 85 percent of the gross world product and 80 percent of all world trade. They support steady monetary policy and international financial stability.

Critics assail it as a platform to move the globe toward an international world order. The summits attract protests from “left-wing groups and anarchists.” Mayor de Blasio must believe that his presence in solidarity with the protesters is more important than the issues that trouble his own little burg.          

GOP Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, who is running against the mayor, called the trip “a slap in the face of New Yorkers who deserve a mayor who works for them.” It is hard to understand why he decided to join left-wing protesters in a foreign country when the city is dealing with the assassination of another NYPD officer and while it is uncertain whether the killer slipped through the cracks of the city mental health system.

We deal with mentally ill homeless people every day in our streets and subways. A report from the Department of Homeless Services reflected that the homeless population in New York City increased nearly 40 percent in 2017. It would be nice if City Hall would pay attention to that as well.

Meanwhile, the cost of the protest trip is being paid for by organizers but the cost for the NYPD officers who accompany the mayor will be borne by the taxpayer.

The G20 summit is an important international event, not a municipal one. We need President Trump at the summit protecting the interests of the U.S. We do not need Mayor de Blasio in the streets of Hamburg confronting German riot police.

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