Long Island Rep. Anthony D’Esposito unveiled legislation Thursday that would codify a federal “bill of rights” for law enforcement officers and formally condemn the “defund the police” movement.
D’Esposito — who served in the NYPD before flipping the deep-blue 4th Congressional District in 2022 — announced the resolution, which strengthens legal protections for officers and “condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police,” at an event in Nassau County.
“As someone who’s worn the uniform as a proud NYPD detective, I have seen firsthand the dangers of policing, and know well the struggles law enforcement professionals overcome on a daily basis,” D’Esposito said with law enforcement officials by his side.
“In 2022 alone, this country lost 224 law enforcement professionals,” D’Esposito went on, citing the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The National Fraternal Order of Police also reported that 331 cops were shot nationwide in 2022, up 6% from two years ago.
Sixty-two of those 331 officers were killed in the line of duty, a 32% increase from 2020.
The freshman Republican accused “far-left progressives” and New York Democrats of putting “minority communities at risk as well” in their political efforts to strip police officers of their rights and “grant more rights to those committing violent crimes.”
The legislation would also grant officers new protections during investigations into police misconduct, including the right to self-defense against physical threats and legal recourse if someone assaults them.
The 41-year-old congressman made public safety a centerpiece of his campaign, pledging on his website to “stop the defund the police movement and keep Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Congressional Democrats from ending cash bail.”
D’Esposito was joined Thursday by Nassau County officials including Police Benevolent Association President Thomas Shevlin, Superior Officers Association President Ricky Frasetti, Correction Officers Benevolent Association President Brian Sullivan, and members of the Police Detectives’ Association.
“It’s time to get back to common sense,” Shevlin said. “It’s time to support police officers.”
Sullivan cited a Bronx judge who let an accused killer go free without bail last week to illustrate the “insanity” of efforts to undermine law enforcement in states like New York and California.
“The people that are suffering the most are the general public,” Sullivan added.
New York City saw a 23% surge in major crimes last year, even as homicides and shootings decreased slightly, according to NYPD statistics.
Rapes, felony assaults and robberies were all on the rise in the Big Apple in 2022, along with burglaries and carjackings.
Garden City Police Benevolent Association President Steve Roumeliotis and an official from the Rockland County Police Benevolent Association were also in attendance.
House Resolution 285 is co-sponsored by New York Republican Reps. Brandon Williams, Andrew Garbarino, Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Claudia Tenney, and Nicole Malliotakis.
Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) also sponsored the bill.