The head of the union representing the New York State Police slammed Gov. Andrew Cuomo as offering “zero support for us” by not addressing the attacks directed at troopers during violence-plagued protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota.
State Troopers PBA president Thomas Mungeer also said Cuomo vowed to “diminish the rights of your NYS Troopers” by supporting a law to open up disciplinary records of officers to public inspection and for barring police from cooperating with federal law enforcement under the Green Light Law that allows illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses.
“I find it appalling that you have not condemned the violence directed at your New York State Troopers during the riots across the state. In fact, during your daily briefing today you repeatedly used the word ‘ugly’ to describe recent events but did not acknowledge that the Troopers under your command have been responding to riots with unwavering loyalty to public safety,” Mungeer said in a letter to Cuomo, a copy of which was obtained by The Post.
Mungeer said law enforcement officers are also “outraged” by George Floyd’s deaths at the hands of police and respect the constitutional right of peaceful protest.
“However,” he said, “what Troopers are being called upon to respond to across the state are not peaceful protests or voices of reason urging societal changes, these are violent riots taking place around the state including New York City, Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester and Albany, just blocks from the Executive Mansion.
“Peaceful protestors do not arrive with hammers and Molotov cocktails, burn police cars, smash the windows of businesses or spray graffiti on St. Patrick’s Cathedral — criminal opportunists and vandals do. Peaceful protestors do not start fires in the streets or to businesses — arsonists do. Peaceful protestors do not gather en masse to openly disregard laws, create havoc and impede on the rights of the general public — rioters do.”
State troopers have been dispatched to New York City and upstate to help keep the peace, Mungeer said.
“Unfortunately, our top elected officials, members of the state legislature and including you, Governor, have offered zero support for us. Why haven’t you pointed out that the assaultive actions of violent protestors cause a more assertive response from law enforcers?,” Mungeer said.
“For fulfilling our duties to the people of the state of New York, the proud members of the New York State Troopers PBA have in return been vilified and lumped into a group who you believe doesn’t have the wherewithal to discipline themselves.”
For good measure, Mungeer criticized New York’s “Green Light Law’’ that provides driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants but also “can result in a felony charge to a Trooper simply for providing information to a fellow law enforcement agency if requested.”
He also criticized Cuomo for vowing “to diminish the civil rights of your New York State Troopers through changes to NYS Civil Rights Law section 50a.”
“Governor Cuomo, now is not the time to be politically ashamed of supporting your New York State Troopers. We deserve better,” Mungeer said in the letter.