Mourn Our Dead; Care for the Living

We join the entire nation in mourning the murder of NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.  As police union lawyers, we have continually worked with our unions to try to find ways to protect officers.  We have bargained for officers’ rights to defend themselves, for body armor when appropriate, to protect against bullets, Tasers to protect against physical violence, vaccinations to protect against disease, two person cruisers to provide back up, and for accidental disability and death benefits if the other protections are ineffective.  But none of these protections helped Officers Liu and Ramos.

In all these years we have attended too many police funerals and we will now mourn Officers Liu and Ramos.  We believe that the best tribute to Officers Liu and Ramos is to continue the struggle to protect the living.  Bargain for safe equipment and safe procedures and work for the respect that all officers deserve.  Show management the need to assign enough officers to enable you to protect each other.  Be careful out on the lonely, dark roads.  Please stay safe.
Joe Sandulli and Sandulli Grace