Good cops don’t defend cops who cross the line
Manhattan: Two cops, Michael Caligiuri and Ryan McLoughlin, are on trial (“Not their finest hour,” Feb. 21). One day, while patrolling Chelsea, they came upon the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. They performed their duties perfectly, according to their training, until they found out the drunkard was another cop. What a dilemma, with one cop telling the other: “I don’t know what to do.” According to reports, what they did was actively cover up their fellow cop’s crime, even tampering with their cameras to manipulate the crime scene.
Now we have Patrick Hendry of the Police Benevolent Association, calling for the cops to be exonerated and lambasting the district attorney for bringing the charges. If the question ever arises as to why NYPD cops do not receive the public respect they believe they deserve, just look to their leaders. Hendry at one time patrolled the streets as a patrolman. It’s a good thing he has a desk job now, as he obviously doesn’t have the proper character or ethical foundation to interact with the public.
Rather than throwing those bad cops out of the union and asking for better training so cops will never have to ask what to do when a fellow cop appears to have broken the law, Hendry encourages them. Any cop who thinks other cops are not subject to each and every law the rest of us are does not deserve to be a cop, or a union leader. Steven Davies
Force of nature
Brooklyn: I realize that the extreme snow, cold and winds are scary and have a tough impact on our region. The weather is no joke, and for some sectors of our society, it is very bad (the unhoused, the stray animals, outdoor workers, etc.). But we should also view the weather as a part of life that we should be in awe of. Too many people think that anything and everything can be controlled by humans, but that’s not true. Nature certainly has its ways to show us that we are mere mortals. This weather is humbling us. Ponder that. Ellen Levitt
Trust the people
Woodside: So, Mayor Mamdani is looking to kill the proposed increase of 5,000 police officers. I say man up and start by ending his security detail. He can have the “warmth of collectivism” protect him. Patrick E. Rudden
Tenant terror
Henderson, Nev.: Will Mamdani, who usually sides with tenants over landlords, express his sympathy for Queens landlord Zoraida Leo and his contempt for Davi Vidal, a migrant from Colombia (“22 years for slaying,” Feb. 22)? Don’t hold your breath! David Tulanian
White & white-collar only
Edgewater, N.J.: The GOP is howling about blatant fraud and theft of U.S. taxpayer dollars in blue states. Yet, this administration’s actions — firing inspectors general, dismissing numerous white-collar fraud investigations, pardoning convicted embezzlers (while fostering a certainty that bilking never occurs in red states) — tell a much different story. To the GOP, if you’re a Brown-skinned person living in a blue state, you’re likely perpetrating some evil scam, but if you’re a college-educated financier who’s orchestrated a sophisticated framework of widespread corruption — from which a rewarding emolument might be forthcoming? — that’s impressive. Jay K. Egelberg
Fatal failed attempt
Clearwater, Fla.: It’s no wonder there has been a third assassination attempt on President Trump (“Armed man shot dead at Mar-a-Lago,” Feb. 23). Dems incessantly compare Trump, his administration and ICE to Hitler, Nazis, Gestapo and kidnappers. These are sick people who desperately want to get rid of him as they continue to put out the hate and allow others to do their dirty work. No doubt the radical left is sorry the attempt failed. In the meantime, let us be grateful for the swift action of the Secret Service and that Trump, First Lady Melania and first son Barron were not at Mar-a-Lago. JoAnn Lee Frank
Some deal
Hopewell Junction, N.Y.: Sen. Ed Markey said the U.S. had a “great” deal with Iran and its nuclear program in 2015 but Trump tore it up. They were enriching uranium in 2015 and they weren’t stopping at 20%, which is suitable for a reactor. They were at or close to 60%, very close to weapons grade. It takes 20 times longer to enrich uranium from 0.7% to 60% than it does from 60% to 99% — the process gets faster the more enriched the uranium is. Barack Obama had a deal with Iran after he released a couple of billion for them and sent $500 million in cash, literally on pallets in the middle of the night to arm terrorists and crank up their nuclear program. That’s the deal Markey’s talking about. I sleep easier knowing Obama is no longer arming Iran while Trump tears up any agreements. Freddy Sacco
Abysmal
Tarrytown, N.Y.: Captain Bone Spurs’s second term is a raging heap of colossal screw-ups. His approval rating is in the gutter. The polls show that 58% of Americans call his first few months a total disaster. His moronic tariffs continue to blow up in his face, spiking inflation and getting zero concessions from China. The jobs report was a complete failure, and his economic approval sits at a pathetic 39%. The DOGE clown show with Elon Musk was a chaotic, expensive flop that axed popular programs. Three government shutdowns also prove he can’t even keep the lights on. Foreign policy? A joke. He botched the Gaza ceasefire and let Israel run wild. “Board of Peace” — what a joke, and just a giant cash grab to the biggest grifter. This term so far boils down to broken promises, petty revenge and a base too loyal and dumb to bail on him. Stephen Talenti
Not so clean
Pearl River, N.Y.: To Voicer Kanwaldeep Sekhon: China may lead in clean energy technologies, but they’ll never use them, as they are building dozens of coal plants every year. They’re making billions of dollars selling to stupid European, Western and Middle Eastern countries because they don’t work and are too expensive to implement and operate. China’s air quality is by far the worst in the world, as their citizens wear masks for most of their lives. Their waterways are polluted and undrinkable, yet citizens still wash their clothes and utensils in them. China is probably the worst offender when it comes to polluting the world. I’ve visited China and have seen and experienced these things firsthand. Robert Brennan
Private dispute
Manhattan: Re “She lost her son & now her dog, too” (Feb. 23): I am so troubled that you decided to publish this story. Even a child could recognize that there’s a lot more going on here than what has been reported. Meanwhile, millions of people will read this, and if even a teeny subset decide to become more actively involved… yipes. This is already before a court of law. It does not need a trial before a court of public opinion as well. Jen Lynch
