Chicago, IL, March 20, 1996 (ENN)-- In the past twenty-four hours, the issue of whether or not to seek death penalty charges against the alleged murderers of a young New York City police officer has created a furor of comment and controversy. The matter at hand involves the discretion of a Bronx prosecutor to personally decide whether or not he will support and enforce a newly enacted New York state death penalty law.
Yesterday, New York Governor George Pataki sent a letter to Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson asking whether or not he intended to seek the death penalty in the case of the brutal slaying of Officer Kevin Gillespie, who was allegedly killed by three carjackers on March 16th. According to police records, all of the alleged assailants have extensive police records, including a previous murder charge against one of the defendants in the Gillespie case.
It is believed that the letter was written because D.A. Johnson had previously publicly stated his opposition to the death penalty and that he had no "present intention" of ever seeking it within his prosecutorial duties.
In our opinion, if there were ever a case that "cried out" for the use of the death penalty, it would be the Gillespie case. A young police officer, in the pursuit of his rightful duties, was needlessly struck down by bullets fired by merciless attackers. His life was allegedly taken by ruthless assailants who had previously been convicted of brutalizing others in society. He, his family, co-workers, and friends somehow seem forgotten in the political wrangling and intrigue associated with the death penalty issue.
We would respectfully ask that two issues be given consideration in this matter. One involves the deterrence effect of sure, rapid, and severe punishment for those that would assault, batter, or kill police officers, paramedics or firefighters. Without this protection, society's further slide into chaos can be assured. We, as a society, must ensure the safety of these public servants, in order to allow them to effectively carry out the performance of their duties. As much as it may be in vogue in recent years, to criticize, chastise, demean, and prosecute emergency service employees, they are still the "thin blue line" that maintains the separation between civilization and anarchy. If it requires the use of the death penalty to protect these dedicated public employees...so be it.
Secondly, the very serious question of how many times a criminal can be allowed to rape, rob, injure, or kill must be given due consideration. A majority of crimes these days are perpetrated by repeat offenders that continually prey on the weak and innocent. Statistics would seem to indicate that these predators commit greater and more horrendous crimes until drastic measures are taken to stop them. Many criminals laugh at the threat of being subjected to an admittedly over-whelmed criminal justice system that is likely to give them a "slap-on-the-wrist", even for increasingly more serious crimes. Often, drug dealers, thieves, prostitutes, and other criminals are "back on the streets" before police and prosecutors can complete the paperwork that is required in their arrest.
We, at ERRI, believe that maybe the time has come for all of us, collectively, to send a message to criminals of all kinds that we won't tolerate their barbaric behavior and will take whatever actions are necessary to stop them...even if that requires the most drastic of measures.
(About the author: Clark Staten is a retired/disabled former police officer and paramedic, who is the CEO of one of the nation's leading emergency service "think tanks.")
(c) Emergencynet NEWS Service, 1996, All rights reserved
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