Watch the tape! Then do the right thing.
We implore Hearing Officer Inez Haller from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to watch the tape of Auxiliary Police Officers Eugene Marshalik and Nicholas Pekearo being gunned down during a brazen robbery and killing spree in Manhattan’s West Village on March 14, 2007. Thus far, she has refused to watch the tape of the robbery and killing spree.
There is no doubt that both of these volunteers, who were wearing New York Police Department (NYPD) uniforms, raced into action to protect and serve when they were informed by a witness that a crazed madman had killed a bartender. Armed with only nightsticks, police radios and no guns, they began to trail the perpetrator, David Garvin, reporting his changing locations as he fled the murder scene at a pizzeria.
Garvin who was armed with two semi-automatic pistols and 90 rounds of ammo then turned on Marshalik and Pekearo and fired on them. He was ultimately stopped by regular city cops, but not before he shot Marshalik in the head and Pekearo fatally too. It is all on the tape. Watch the tape.
At issue is the fact that while the City of New York has already awarded the death benefits available to Auxiliary Police Officers, the DOJ has yet to recognize them as public safety officers within the meaning of the law.
Under the Public Safety Officers benefits program administered by the United States DOJ, a public safety officer is defined as “an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer.” It further defines a law enforcement officer as “an individual involved in crime and juvenile delinquency control or reduction, or enforcement of the criminal laws.”
Haller has the case but refuses to watch the tape of the incident. Hanging in the balance is $300,000 in death benefits for each man’s family under the federal public safety officers program. We implore Haller to overturn an earlier ruling by someone at DOJ who made a grievous error in rejecting the families’ original benefits applications.
We pay our regular police poorly - at least we can honor our voluntary police as the heros they are by paying their loved ones the death benefits they sadly earned.
Watch the tape. Do the right thing and make this wrong right.
Play Ball
Now that baseball has begun, look for our new feature, “Last Season at Shea Stadium.” In last week’s issue, on the top of page four, we brought you the first in a series of weekly spots - “Magic Moments” - in honor of the last season at Shea Stadium.
Our in-house Mets guru, Bob Kerler, picked his Magic Moments at Shea Stadium throughout the years. Each spot will be illustrated by our award-winning editorial cartoonist, Bill Kresse. Additionally we are offering you a chance to make your pick too. At the end of the season, three grand prize winners will win a pair of seats to a game at the new stadium, Citi Field. Read along, play along and Good Luck!
