New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday tried to smooth over tensions with police officers following the assassination-style killing of two cops in Brooklyn, telling new members of the NYPD it was “our job to protect you.”
“We lost two heroes,” de Blasio said at an NYPD graduation ceremony, addressing the murders of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. “They stood up for all that was good and right. They will not be forgotten.”
Some officers, however, have blamed the New York City mayor for the slayings, saying his remarks in the wake of police killings in Ferguson, Mo., and New York created more hostility towards law enforcement in the Big Apple.
Some boos were audible Monday in the crowd of police officers.
At one point, de Blasio said, “You’ll confront all the problems that plague society, problems you didn’t create.”
To which at least one audience member replied, “You did.”
Following the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, the New York City mayor condemned police treatment of minority criminal suspects.
At Ramos’ funeral Saturday, some officers again turned their backs on de Blasio to protest his recent actions.
De Blasio has spent recent days trying to showcase his commitment to the NYPD.
“You are here for people in need,” he told the new officers Monday. “It’s a choice many good people would not have the strength to make. It takes a special kind of person to put their life on the line for others.”
