The grieving widow of slain NYPD Det. Jason Rivera on Friday ripped into Manhattan’s newly elected District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a tearful eulogy at her husband’s funeral.
“The system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service,” Dominique Luzuriaga said during a funeral mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
“I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now,” Ms. Luzuriaga said amid thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the pews. “I’m sure all of our blue family is tired too.”
“But I promise — we promise — that your death won’t be in vain,” she said.
Mr. Bragg, who took over his post earlier this month, ordered his office to apply lax prosecution standards for low-level crimes. He mandated that prosecutors do not charge people for resisting arrest and he automatically reduced some felonies to misdemeanors, including for armed robbery.
He later tried to walk back the memo by saying it gave “the wrong impression” about his policies and that he understood why New Yorkers were concerned.
Mr. Bragg was among the local leaders who attended Rivera’s funeral. Scores of police dignitaries and others also arrived to express their condolences over Rivera’s death.
In a statement issued after the funeral, Mr. Bragg said he is “grieving and praying” for the two NYPD officers who lost their lives in the past week.
“Violence against police officers will never be tolerated. My office will vigorously prosecute cases of violence against police and work to prevent senseless acts like this from ever happening again,” the statement said.
Rivera, who was posthumously promoted to detective, was gunned down last Friday during a domestic violence call in Harlem. Wilbert Mora, the second officer who responded to the call, died from his injuries this week. His funeral will be held next week.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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