Free Republic

NEW YORK (AP) - A jury found Monday that five police officers were justified in shooting a hammer-wielding man to death in 1999. The jurors deliberated for a day before clearing the officers and the city of any liability in the death of Gidone Busch, a 31-year-old Hasidic Jew with a history of mental problems. The officers were never charged criminally or disciplined for the shooting. Busch's family members were outraged by the verdict, and demanded a Justice Department review. ``It's a disgrace!'' the victim's stepfather, Howard Boskey, shouted as jurors filed out the courtroom following a monthlong trial. The...

Calling an 11.5% raise over two years a slap in the face, cops on the street angrily blasted Mayor Bloomberg and police union officials yesterday for again failing to come up with a fair wage for New York's Finest. "We're the hardest working Police Department in the nation. Why can't we be paid like it? This settlement S-U-C-K-S," said Officer Rodriguez, a 19-year veteran who declined to give his first name. "Where's the beef?" Officer Vince DeLuca of the 46th Precinct said: "It's an absolute disgrace. It shows how much the mayor and the city thinks of cops. We asked...