Good cops don\u2019t defend cops who cross the line<\/p>\n
Manhattan: Two cops, Michael Caligiuri and Ryan McLoughlin, are on trial (\u201cNot their finest hour<\/a>,\u201d Feb. 21). One day, while patrolling Chelsea, they came upon the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. They performed their duties perfectly, according to their training, until they found out the drunkard was another cop. What a dilemma, with\u00a0one cop telling the other: \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do.\u201d According to reports, what they did was actively cover up their fellow cop\u2019s crime, even tampering with their cameras to manipulate the crime scene.<\/p>\n Now we have Patrick Hendry of the Police Benevolent Association, calling for the cops to be exonerated and lambasting the district attorney for bringing the charges. If the question ever arises as to why NYPD cops do not receive the public respect they believe they deserve, just look to their leaders. Hendry at one time patrolled the streets as a patrolman. It\u2019s a good thing he has a desk job now, as he obviously doesn\u2019t have the proper character or ethical foundation to interact with the public.<\/p>\n Rather than throwing those bad cops out of the union and asking for better training so cops will never have to ask what to do when a fellow cop appears to have broken the law, Hendry encourages them. Any cop who thinks other cops are not subject to each and every law the rest of us are does not deserve to be a cop, or a union leader. Steven Davies<\/p>\n Force of nature<\/p>\n Brooklyn: I realize that the extreme snow, cold and winds are scary and have a tough impact on our region. The weather is no joke, and for some sectors of our society, it is very bad (the unhoused, the stray animals, outdoor workers, etc.). But we should also view the weather as a part of life that we should be in awe of. Too many people think that anything and everything can be controlled by humans, but that\u2019s not true. Nature certainly has its ways to show us that we are mere mortals. This weather is humbling us. Ponder that. Ellen Levitt<\/p>\n Trust the people<\/p>\n Woodside: So, Mayor Mamdani is looking to kill the proposed increase of 5,000 police officers. I say man up and start by ending his security detail. He can have the \u201cwarmth of collectivism\u201d protect him. Patrick E. Rudden<\/p>\n Tenant terror<\/p>\n Henderson, Nev.: Will Mamdani, who usually sides with tenants over landlords, express his sympathy for Queens landlord Zoraida Leo and his contempt for Davi Vidal, a migrant from Colombia (\u201c22 years for slaying<\/a>,\u201d Feb. 22)? Don\u2019t hold your breath! David Tulanian<\/p>\n White & white-collar only<\/p>\n Edgewater, N.J.: The GOP is howling about blatant fraud and theft of U.S. taxpayer dollars in blue states. Yet, this administration\u2019s actions \u2014 firing inspectors general, dismissing numerous white-collar fraud investigations, pardoning convicted embezzlers (while fostering a certainty that bilking never occurs in red states) \u2014 tell a much different story. To the GOP, if you\u2019re a Brown-skinned person living in a blue state, you\u2019re likely perpetrating some evil scam, but if you\u2019re a college-educated financier who\u2019s orchestrated a sophisticated framework of widespread corruption \u2014 from which a rewarding emolument might be forthcoming? \u2014 that\u2019s impressive. Jay K. Egelberg<\/p>\n Fatal failed attempt<\/p>\n