FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 240-12 June 24, 2012 MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND POLICE COMMISSIONER KELLY UPDATE NEW YORKERS ON THE SHOOTING OF NYPD OFFICER NELSON VERGARA The following are Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s remarks as delivered at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx this morning: “Good morning. Here we are at St Barnabas Medical Center in the Bronx with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Chief of Patrol James Hall, Chief of Internal Affairs Charles Campisi, Chief of Bronx Detectives Robert Boyce and Dr. Eli Kleinman, the NYPD’s Chief Surgeon. We’re also joined by Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway and Dr. Ernest Patti from St. Barnabas. “You should know that Police Officer Vergara is a 12 year veteran of the NYPD, who is currently assigned to the 33rd Precinct in Washington Heights in the northern end of Manhattan. He, like our Commissioner, is also a Marine. Officer Vergara twice took leave from the NYPD for tours defending our liberty in Iraq. “Police Commissioner Kelly will give more details on this incident in few minutes, but it’s no secret that the last four years have been one of the four safest in the City’s history, and crime is again down in both the 33rd Precinct where Officer Vergara works and the 46th Precinct here in the Bronx, where Officer Vergara lives and this morning’s incident occurred. “That’s due to a lot of factors, including our partners in law enforcement. But I think it’s fair to say the chief reason is the vigilance, the dedication, the training and the professionalism of the men and women of the NYPD. “Before we take your questions: here we are, another morning, another hospital, another member of the NYPD shot in the line of duty. “Every four years, we get together as a nation to re-plot the path that we should follow as a people. It’s decided in campaign stops, in debates, and most importantly in the voting booth. It’s front page news, and every day it will be for the next four months. Shootings like this, sadly, no longer seem to matter to the national campaigns. “But what we will do to get guns out the hands of criminals, where they’re used against our parent and our children, and in this case a police officer and Marine, is far more important than most of the gaffe-gates and other ridiculousness that define our political dialogue. “Our police officers deserve more than our prayers. They deserve our solemn commitment to take action against illegal guns. God may spare a life, but only Washington can solve this problem. MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser/Marc La Vorgna (212) 788-2958 STAY CONNECTED Twitter YouTube Flickr |
|