Political Quotes

“in the current film, ``City Hall,'' the fictional mayor of New York City portrayed by Al Pacino says, ``There is one thing I will never get over. That is the murder of a police officer.'' As a Member of Congress, as an American, and as the son of a New York police lieutenant, I could not agree more emphatically with that statement. Mr. Speaker, this past Monday in my home parish of St. William the Abbot Church in Seaford, I attended the funeral of a police officer, Kevin Gillespie, a New York City police officer that was gunned down in the line of duty last March 14, 1996. Police Officer Gillespie was a cop's cop. Those who murdered him personified the very worst of the criminal elements in our society. They had been previously convicted of crimes, ranging from attempted murder to assault and armed robbery. The triggerman who fired the 9-millimeter slug into Kevin Gillespie's neck is a two-time violent offender. One of his accomplices was out on $25,000 bail for an armed robbery arrest in January, a crime committed while he was out on parole. Mr. Speaker, our criminal justice system has lost touch with the American people and is failing in its job. Mr. Speaker, I commend Governor Pataki for removing the Bronx district attorney for refusing to carry out the death penalty in this case, and I offer my condolences to Officer Gillespie and his family.”