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Hochul freeing cop-killers is maybe the

worst way she’s pro-crime
By Bob Martin November 2, 2022 9:45pm Updated

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Columnists
Miranda Devine
Zeldin holds a "Get Out the Vote" rally for early voting ahead of the November 8 midterm elections.
Kevin C. Downs for NY Post How the government hid the truth
behind Hunter Biden's laptop
As a 32-year retired NYPD veteran, two recent stories
More On: concerning the department’s Police Benevolent Association
ny governors race have me scratching my head. The PBA’s decision to give John Podhoretz
2022 Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul $25,000 to use in her
campaign (almost said “reelection” — but she was never Biden’s riot act falls flat
Hocul rapped for stalled release
of budget report before election elected) against Republican Lee Zeldin is beyond belief. The
Post broke this story one day before it broke another, which
Biz with big NY interests throw noted the PBA is sounding the alarm on the eight New York Cindy Adams
cash at Hochul in final days of City cop-killers up for parole in the next seven months.
tight race
Cardinal Dolan visits Radio City Music
Am I alone in seeing the great dichotomy here? Hall to bless nativity scene animals
It’sno secret why crime-
eseiged Latino grocers are
flocking to Lee Zeldin for gov Hochul was Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lieutenant governor from See All Columnists
January 2015 until replacing him when he resigned in August
No-cash bail murder of Buffalo 2021. During their time in office, the Legislature, with the
mom could cost Hochul
election: ex-Clinton pollster governor’s support, changed state law and parole-board
rules, making it easier for violent criminals to appeal parole
Covers
denials. It’s resulted, as the PBA said last year, in “21 cop
killers being turned loose by that panel in just over three
Today's Cover
years.” Front Cover
Flip for back cover
The Less Is More law Hochul signed shortly after assuming office loosened parole rules and immediately
released almost 200 criminals from Rikers Island.

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23,001

Megyn Kelly irked by Meghan Markle

Gov. Hochul’s no-bail approach has been scrutinized by her rival Lee Zeldin. calling Harry 'my husband': 'We get it.
James Keivom You bagged the gorilla!'

Zeldin’s response to this was spot on. Hochul, he said , is “siding with criminals over our men and women
22,415
in blue and endangering the safety of every New Yorker.” Zeldin promises, if elected, to “overhaul” the
parole-board process, including requiring unanimous decisions when granting parole and establishing “a
process for victims and victims’ families to appeal parole decisions.”

Imagine that: Having victims’ advocates and law enforcement on the Board of Parole and replacing
members “who have expressed poor judgment”! Ideas like these are the reason Zeldin has overwhelming
support from the law-enforcement and victims’ rights communities.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's
Has Hochul mentioned anything about fixing these problems should 'ironclad' prenup revealed
she be elected next week? Or is she “waiting for more data,” like she’s
doing regarding the no-cash-bail fiasco that has the fear of becoming
see also
20,044
victim of a violent crime uppermost on New Yorkers’ minds. That fear
is real — and not, as Hochul just stated regarding her Republican
opposition, “this conspiracy going all across America to convince
people in Democratic states that they’re not as safe.”

Kathy, the data on no-cash bail are very easy to read. They’re written
in red, in the blood innocent New Yorkers are leaving on the sidewalks, Grieving Buffalo mother
streets and subways of this city. Also note that one of Hochul’s first
blames Kathy Hochul’s Woman, 28, killed outside workplace
no-cash bail for for 'repeatedly' rejecting coworker
acts as governor was appointing “Defund the Police” backer, daughter’s murder
subsequently indicted for bribery, Brian Benjamin lieutenant governor.
Compare this with Zeldin’s pick of highly respected former NYPD
Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito as his running mate.

An NYPD officer exits a subway train where a person was stabbed on Oct. 19.
Christopher Sadowski

Freeing cop-killers strikes a deep nerve with me. On Feb. 12, 1980, I was a cop assigned to the Street
Crime Unit. We worked mostly 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in plainclothes in the city’s high-crime areas. That night,
my partner and I made an arrest in Washington Heights shortly after leaving our Randall’s Island base.
Upon booking the suspect and resuming patrol, our department radio crackled: “Street Crime Officer shot
— being transported to Harlem Hospital.”

We sped uptown and ran into the hospital’s emergency room;

maybe our colleague would be needing blood. Our lieutenant,
Keep up with today's Joe Baner, looking pale as a ghost, stopped us. “They couldn’t
most important news save him, guys.” Our friend, squad mate, brother Bobby Bilodeau
Stay up on the very latest had died trying to take a gun-carrying repeat criminal off a
with Evening Update. Harlem street.

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The lieutenant’s next assignment for me is the reason cop-killers
being paroled is such a sore subject for me, this many years
later. “I want you and Mo [Maureen DiStasio, a tremendous SCU
detective in our squad] to pick up Monsignor Dunne [NYPD
chaplain] and get out to Whitestone and make the notification to
. Bobby’s wife.”

will never forget ringing the bell of Cathy Bilodeau’s house at 3

I

a.m. Seeing us and the monsignor in his white collar, she knew why we were there. It is every cop’s
spouse’s worst nightmare. Maureen and I were assigned to the Bilodeau family through the wake and
funeral. Every night, we shared with them the pain that this violent felon had inflicted upon the young
widow and her children.

Police respond to the scene of a deadly hit and run on Oct. 22.
Paul Martinka

Iread some time ago about a Marine Corps casualty notification officer’s technique when breaking the
devastating news to a fallen Marine’s family. “When I pull up, I check to make sure I, with no doubt, have
the right house. Then, I look at my watch. I wait five minutes before getting out of the car and knocking on
the door. I want to give that family inside five minutes more of life as they know it. Once they open the
door and see me in my dress blues, their lives will never be the same.” I know how that Marine feels.

22 What do you think? Post a comment.

Bobby Bilodeau’s killer was released from prison Jan. 12, 2021.

I,and every cop, active and retired, I know will be voting Tuesday for Lee Zeldin and his running mate
Alison Esposito. If you believe cop-killers should never be paroled, you should, too.

Bob Martin is the author of “ Bronx Justice ” and “ 9/11 Remembered — Twenty Years Later .”

Filed under kathy hochul lee zeldin ny governors race 2022 nypd parole 11/2/22

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