By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JAN. 5, 2015) — On Saturday, prior to the Sunday wake of Officer Wenjian Liu, one of the two NYC police officers ambushed and murdered by a “make ‘em pay” gunman, Police Chief William Bratton had his command staff read a statement prior to roll call at all shifts in all precincts.

Bratton asked for the police not to turn the wake into a political event. “A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance,” the chief said in his statement. “I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor, and decency that goes with it.”

NYPD officers turn their backs again on Mayor Bill de Blasio. (AP Photo)

Unfortunately, thousands of officers on Sunday turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio as they have before whenever the mayor has delivered remarks about the two murders. Notably, the officers “backed” the mayor at the funeral of Officer Rafael Ramos two weeks ago. They did it again yesterday.

Union Leaders Agitate Raw Emotions to a Froth

Police union leaders have whipped up the troops’ emotions against the mayor for what they perceive to be his actions in creating an anti-police atmosphere in the city. Officers feel de Blasio especially contributed to an anti-cop environment with his actions and statements following the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of a white officer. The officer had used an illegal chokehold to subdue the man.

This is one of those events, like so many when politics intersect with the raw emotions of life and death, where both sides have credible positions. Rule of law, however, must prevail — especially among the law enforcers. Bratton is correct. Wakes and funerals are not political rallies. The “backing” of the mayor may be justified on a personal level, but it is the wrong tactic to use at a wake or funeral. Officers must respect the office of the mayor above abusing the mayor himself. More importantly, they must respect their dead comrades and their grieving families. The protests only feed the illusory point that the man is more important than the office, the opposite of what they intend. If they had thought it through a bit more, the officers would have heeded their chief’s advice.

Bratton Never Forgot His Roots

THE PLANET had the chance to interview Bratton in 1994. He had been named Boston Police Commissioner the previous year. The tape of that interview is long gone, but a couple things stand out. First, we remember how much he talked about his roots, growing up in Dorchester. He said that guided him in his policing philosophy.

Bratton said that all crime, from petty theft to murder 1, had to be treated swiftly and seriously. He said he regarded the vast majority of citizens as good, law abiding, and wanting only to be left alone from the sort of disruption that crime produces. In doing so, the police officer was the advocate and protector of the good citizen. That struck THE PLANET as wise.

Some do, some don’t “back” the mayor’s speech in NYC (AP Photo)

The second thing we remember is how much he preached the importance of having “good cops” on the force. He acknowledged there would always be bad apples but his goal as chief would be to root them out and to establish an atmosphere where wrongdoing would not be tolerated — and reported if it occurred.

Some readers may recall “the Serpico days” of the NYC police force, when investigations and public hearings revealed massive, system-wide corruption. Forty years later, while not lily-white, the NYPD has a reputation for integrity, decency, and fairness. It was that reputation that Bratton called upon in asking that his troops not upstage Liu’s wake with politics.

De Blasio Must Bear Responsibility as Well

Of course, de Blasio isn’t just another mayor. No mayor of New York City can be “just another mayor.” He has in his short time inflamed his relations with police. For example, de Blasio has publicly allied himself with Al Sharpton, who has demonized the NYPD for years. When Sharpton turned 60 in October, de Blasio attended his birthday party. He described Sharpton as a new Martin Luther King, calling him the top civil rights personality in America and “a blessing for this city.”

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(A related story on Sharpton from the New York Post:

How Sharpton gets paid to not cry ‘racism’ at corporations

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De Blasio’s also retained Rachel Noerdlinger as his wife’s chief of staff at a yearly salary of $170,000,  conveniently ignoring the arrests of Noerdlinger’s live-in boyfriend for anti-police activity. Only when Noerdlinger’s 17-year-old son was arrested for tresspassing at a drug location in the Bronx did Noerdlinger take an “indefinite leave of absence” (source Reuters).

Two Tenets, Two Acting Chiefs

THE PLANET would recommend Bratton’s two tenets to acting Police Chief Mike Wynn.

1. Remember your roots. This keeps you always humble and citizen-minded, first and foremost.
2. Prosecute crime, not just convenient crime. THE PLANET here thinks, for example, of well-known drug markets such as The Common and many West Side locations, where buying and selling take place routinely and brazenly in the open. Also, ask any high schooler if they see drug action on school grounds. The answer is yes. Ask them if administrators and teachers know about it. The answer is yes. Ask them if kids are afraid they will be arrested. The answer is no.

Mayor Dan Bianchi has foolishly continued his predecessor’s policy of keeping the most important public safety position in the city as “acting.” This cynical move puts politics ahead of public safety. Having “acting” as the predicate of office keeps the “Sword of Damacles” hanging over Wynn’s head. This in turn produces tentativeness and “politics” in an office where there should not be any.

It’s clear Bianchi doesn’t intend change this. Therefore, it will be up to the next mayor — assuming Bianchi doesn’t run again or if he does run will be defeated — to get rid of the “acting” status in this key office.

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“Hey everybody! Let’s have fun. You only live but once, and when you’re dead your done, so mama let the good times roll.” — Ray Charles, “Let the good Times Roll.”

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.