In 2000, I was a sixth-grade student at a Bronx intermediate school that bore the name of two police
officers murdered in the line of duty: Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini.
I never imagined that, less than two decades later, the murderer of these two officers, Herman Bell, would be released from prison. The New York State Board of Parole, which released Bell, made the equally disgraceful decision to release from prison Lee Ernest Walker, who murdered in cold blood an NYPD officer named Juan Andino, shooting him in the head and face over a pair of sunglasses.
Releasing murderers like Walker from prison serves no public interest at all. It only serves to re-victimize the loved ones of the murder victims, causing them to relive the indelible trauma of losing a loved one.
The only proper and proportional punishment for the murder of a police officer is the murderer rotting in
prison for the rest of his life.
Certain crimes, like the murder of a police officer, should never be a candidate for parole and should never be left to the discretion of an ideologically-charged parole board.
The Board of Parole is so out of touch with the People of New York, so utterly lacking in moral common sense, that it has shamelessly released 43 cop killers since 2017 — a trend that shows no sign of stopping unless stopped by the governor, whose silence has been deafening.
When determining the fate of an inmate, the Board of Parole all but ignores the nature of the crime itself, as well as the needs of the crime victims.
No crime or criminal, it seems, is too heinous for a parole board that feels neither shame nor guilt about
releasing cold-blooded cop killers.
The practice of coddling cop killers is profoundly demoralizing to the NYPD at a time when the department is confronting a chronic crisis of recruitment and retention. It sends a chilling message that the State of New York fundamentally devalues the lives of the men and women who risk their own safety for the safety of New Yorkers. Why would any cop risk his life for a state that, in the event of his murder, would one day release his murderer?
Eleven of the 16 parole board members have expired terms. Even though Gov. Hochul could remove the board members who are ideologically intent on releasing cop killers, the governor, true to form as a deer in headlights, has chosen to stand by passively and do nothing.
The members of the parole board should no longer be afforded the luxury of voting in secret and escaping accountability for their disgraceful decision-making. The People of New York expect the Board of Parole to be as transparent and accountable as the elected officials who nominate and confirm them.
The governor must reform the Board of Parole so that it represents the common sense of most New Yorkers. Board members who prioritize crime victims must be swiftly appointed.
The voting record of each board member must be publicly disclosed. And the release of cold-blooded cop killers must be strictly prohibited. Only then will the Board of Parole stop dishonoring New York by dishonoring the memory of its fallen heroes.
Ritchie Torres is a Democratic congressman representing The Bronx.
