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©1999 - 2012
Edward D. Reuss
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NY COP NEWSLETTER FALL 2003

District Attorney Richmond County


Photo by NY Cop Online Magazine

Dan Donovan, District Attorney Elect of Richmond County (Staten Island)
is congratulated by the Publisher of NY Cop Online Magazine upon his victory at the polls.
 Mr. Donovan will be the first Republican District Attorney for Richmond County in many decades.

NY Cop Online Magazine, www.nycop.com
endorsed the election of Mr. Donovan. During the campaign for his election, I had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues with him that are of vital interest to police officers and victims of crime.

One of those issues was the so-called “48 hour rule” that has caused much controversy. This issue has been the subject of both past NY Cop Forum questions and feature articles.

Visit the Forum site page: The 48 Hour Rule May 1999

Mr. Donovan was an Assistant District Attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney and based on his experience in this area, he saw no problem with retention of the rule.

The tragic events surrounding the Staten Island Ferry Collision comes to mind when writing about the 48 hour rule for police when involved in use of deadly physical force or other serious incidents. It is ironic to see how the captain and crew of a ferry boat charged with the safety of 6,000 passengers have avoided questioning of the facts surrounding this event for many weeks.  This stands in stark contrast with the standards that we demand of our police.  The fact that we allow our police 48 hours to obtain legal counsel prior to questioning seems to be a reasonable rule.

When speaking before a meeting of the NYC Verrazano 10-13 Association, Mr. Donovan met with Lorraine Shanley, the Secretary of the Survivors of the Shield, www.nypdsos.com . That is an organization comprised of families of members of the NYPD who have died in the line of duty. The issue of parole for killers of police officers was discussed and Mr. Donovan pledged his support for victims and to work closely with the Victim Impact Unit of the New York State Division of Parole.
 


Left to right: Lorraine Shanley, SOS Secretary with DA Elect Dan Donovan and Ed Reuss

Editor’s Note: .   The District Attorney of each county keeps in contact with the Division of Parole and keeps victims apprised of their rights with regard to the parole process.  The general public can express their support for victims by sending petitions to the Board of Parole. 

 The convicted killers of NYPD Police Officer Joseph A. Piangentini, age 28, and Police Officer Waverly Jones, age 33, are due to appear at parole hearings during the year 2004
A petition form can be filled out by visiting the web site of the Survivors of the Shield www.nypdsos.com
Visitors can print out a copy of the petition and send it to the Board of Parole.

Note:

Those who sign and submit these petitions should be aware that case folders are kept by the Division of Parole and all such petitions are retained and kept in those folders. The inmate and his attorney have the right to examine and review all contents of the folder including the information submitted by petitioners.
It is recommended that information of a personal nature or home or business phone numbers should not be part of the petition form.

Copyright 2003 Edward D. Reuss

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