Posted on 12/12/2005 7:35:47 PM PST by neverdem
First Patrick Caprice, then Christopher Wiesneski, then Patrick O'Boyle and Erik Hansen, then Dominick Romano and David Harris, then Wiener Philippe, then Dillon Stewart, then Mark Ennis and Peter Verdesi, and now Daniel Enchautegui. The blood of police officers is running ever faster on New York City's streets. Since June, two cops have been shot and killed and nine cops have been shot and wounded in the line of duty. We have paid tribute. We have mourned. And, to our shame, we have moved on. But not this time. This time there's no moving on without tough action. Too many lives have been lost and damaged, and too many lives are at stake.
New York must embark on a crusade against a hoodlum class that's taken to shooting at cops as if they're targets in a video game. Civilized, we have only the law as our weapon, but a powerful weapon the law can be when politicians put muscle into it, serving notice that violators face severe and inescapable punishment.
Gov. Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno must send that message now. And they must start by standing shoulder to shoulder at Daniel Enchautegui's funeral on Wednesday as an expression of New York's collective outrage at the slaying of a remarkably dedicated and valiant officer.
Then Pataki, Silver and Bruno must return to Albany - Thursday would be perfect timing - for an extraordinary special legislative session to be attended by all 150 members of the Assembly and all 62 senators. There would be a single item on the agenda. Call it the Crimes Against Cops Law.
The main premise of the statute is simple: Take every provision of the penal code that covers menacing, assault, the use of a gun and homicide and toughen the sentences where the victim or target is a cop. Some examples:
Assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon and causing serious physical injury now carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum penalty of 25 years. Make it 30 years with no exceptions.
Attempting to murder a cop has a maximum life sentence but allows for parole in anywhere from 15 to 25 years. Make it 30 to life.
Menacing - the crime of waving a gun at someone - is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Where a cop is menaced, make it five years.
Possession of armor-piercing ammunition that can penetrate a cop's bulletproof vest is punishable by a year in jail. Make it five years.
Killing a cop unintentionally while, say, fleeing or in a struggle, can be categorized as simple criminally negligent homicide with a four-year sentence. Make it manslaughter with a minimum of 10 years.
Killing a cop intentionally gets you life without parole because a key section of New York's death penalty statute was ruled unconstitutional by the state Court of Appeals and the Assembly let the law die. Restoring the capital punishment, if need be only for cop killers, is a pressing need. Deterring even one thug from pulling the trigger would make the law worthwhile.
The Crimes Against Cops Law would also ratchet up New York's pathetically weak prohibitions on illegal weapons. Possessing 19 guns unlawfully now carries the same penalty as shoplifting. And the law allows gun traffickers to insulate themselves from serious punishment by selling one gun at a time rather then in bulk. A dealer can sell 1,000 guns and get just a slap on the wrist as long as he peddles them one at a time.
The Senate and the Assembly have competing, but very similar, proposals for upping the punishments for possession and sale of illegal weapons. This week Silver and Bruno must reach a deal on the measure.
New York has come a long way in the fight against crime. But as ordinary citizens have become safer, the cops have remained in grave danger. We've been sending them out with handguns and bulletproof vests, but without the proper protection of the law. Enough is enough. Pataki, Silver, Bruno and both legislative houses must convene this week so that those who raise a finger against the police will finally suffer appropriate consequences. Some will think twice before shooting.
Stop crimes against cops campaign
Show your support for the Daily News' Crimes Against Cops Law. Send us your letters, E-mails and faxes, and we'll pass them on to the powerbrokers in Albany.
You can E-mail comments to opinion@nydailynews.com, fax them to (212) 210-2963 or send them to Crimes Against Cops Law, c/o Daily News, 450 W. 33rd St., New York, N.Y. 10001.
I can't believe they didn't catch this story in the NY Post. 'SHEL' SHOCK GROWS (NY Assembly Speaker Silver ripped for saying he doesn't go to police funerals)
Some of the other provisions are okay, but "no thanks" on this one. Ammunition is not the problem here.
My son is with NYPD---thanks for the post.
My nephew is a cop in Cohoes. They should get tough on hoodlums who throw rocks at cop cars too, lest we get into the situation of the Aussies with their Lebanese mobs.
People killing is bad. Cop killing is way bad as it shows complete disregard of the laws. If a cop killer is tried and convicted, the death penalty should apply to the crime.
All the other sentence enhancements are so much bunk. Kill a cop, get convicted, get a swift death penalty. That's the only one to get the bad guys' attentions.
I don't understand how so many cops are getting shot. I thought hand guns are illegal in NYC!?!
Ie., start with the exhibition of Hollywood and record companies who promote and market their disgusting sh--.
ditto what you said.
ping
NYC has declined since the law and order days of Rudi G. He knew how to back up his police force.
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