Police Chief: Edward Delatorre, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

What You Should Know
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District

Police Chief: Edward Delatorre, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

You should know that there is an old saying: "No good deed goes unpunished."  It is something that many of us say to ourselves when no matter how good we try to be helping another person, it backfires in our faces.  An article titled "Top cop blew a promotion by helping Garner’s mom" by Dana Sauchelli and Jamie Schram in today's New York Post tells how a good deed by a New York City Police officer for the grieving mother of Eric Garner has cost him dearly.

The Post reported: "Staten Island top cop Edward Delatorre is in the doghouse ­ after telling officers to fix a headlight for Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, so that she could beat a ticket."

I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Eric Garner's mother must endure every time she thinks about the brutal killing of her son. I commend Staten Island Chief Edward Delatorre for his act of kindness for this grieving woman.

The Post article tells about the ongoing public ridicule that Staten Island Chief Edward Delatorre is facing: "Since the fiasco, cops have circulated a phony certificate of merit for the embattled chief, praising him for his “outstanding roadside auto service and assistance for the people of da hood.”

My dear reader, I have to ask myself: What kind of a cruel and jaded world do we live in when kindness and compassion is punished?  What lessons are we teaching our children and grandchildren when we tell them to be kind and caring, and then we condemn the actions of people who help others?

Ladies and gentlemen, I pray that the Lord will bless Staten Island Chief Edward Delatorre and his family and every member of the NYPD who has gone out of his or her way to help others - and I also pray for those who mock, ridicule and scorn him and any officer of the law who helps another person so they realize the example they are setting.

This is Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.