Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul met with and apparently criticized Manhattan’s District Attorney, Alvin Bragg after Jason Rivera’s funeral, a slain 22-year-old NYPD cop, in a private meeting Friday.
Hochul told Bragg that “safety and justice must go hand-in-hand,” according to the New York Post. She also said she would “continue to work with all of our District Attorneys, Mayor [Eric] Adams, the NYPD and every New Yorker who is working to restore our sense of security and enforce our laws.”
She also met with Bragg on Wednesday to tell him that she had the full constitutional authority to force him to change his soft-on-crime policies. She said “I have options, but I will be monitoring the situation very closely,” according to the New York Post.
Rivera was killed last week in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Wilbert Mora, a second cop that was responding to the same call died from his injuries on Tuesday.
During the slain cop’s funeral, Rivera’s widow, Dominique Luzuriaga, also directly condemned Bragg and his soft-on-crime policies.
“The system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even members of service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially from ones from the new DA. I hope he is watching you speak through me right now. I’m sure all of our blue family is tired too, but I promise your death won’t be in vain. We’ll take the watch from here,” she said. (RELATED: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg To Send Only Certain Criminals to Prison)
Thousands of NYPD officers lined the streets to honor Rivera’s bravery and sacrifice.
A solemn final farewell was held this morning for the first of two police officers murdered in the line of duty. A police presence was already in place before dawn outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral of NYPD Officer Jason Rivera. 💙 https://t.co/AgynzLXb8K pic.twitter.com/2vnwwwkDDL
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) January 28, 2022
Bragg released a memo in early January announcing that they would be loosening their sentencing policies in his first term as district attorney.