NYC police union head warns city council to skip Diller funeral
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association has warned city council members to skip slain Officer Jonathan Diller's funeral this weekend - and accused them of being complicit in his death through their "twisted ideology" on policing.
SBA President Vincent J. Vallelong wrote Wednesday that city council members who show up to the Saturday morning service would "shed a few crocodile tears" and use the event as a "good photo opportunity."
"The Council members who are vehemently and inexplicably against public safety are responsible for the carnage in the streets and the heartbreak brought about by PO Diller's completely avoidable death," Vallelong insisted.
4How The Post told the tragic story. New York Post
Diller, 31, was allegedly shot in the stomach by career criminal Guy Rivera, 34, during a traffic stop in Queens on Monday evening.
Vallelong said in the wake of the killing, he has "anger directed at those who have forsaken the rules and systems of law, thereby emboldening the criminal element to unprecedented proportions."
In January, the City Council overwhelmingly rejected Mayor Eric Adams' attempt to veto the "How Many Stops Act," which would require cops to document the minutiae of almost all public interactions.
The Mayor - a former NYPD captain - argued that the bill would make New Yorkers "less safe on the streets" while cops were bogged down with paperwork.
NYPD Detectives Endowment Association president Paul DiGiacomo also slammed the move as evidence of the council's intent to "destroy the world's greatest police department."
In the wake of Diller's death, Vallelong wrote, his frustration was further exacerbated by local lawmakers' gestures of support.
"As I read the news and social media posts written by many New York City Council members, it enrages me how hollow and untrue their words of sympathy and empathy are," he said.
4Officer Diller and his son Ryan, 1, pose at a wedding. Facebook/Jean O'Donnell
"Those in the Council who have declared war on the police should be the ones…investigated by an outside agency for every legislative mistake and misstep they make," Vallelong added.
"Despite their admonitions to the contrary, the 'leadership' in the Council has failed city residents, workers, and visitors at every turn. They are blinded by their own hatred and twisted ideology," he claimed.
A funeral service for Diller - who leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son - is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church in Massapequa.
Members of the City Council, however, should think twice before attending, Vallelong warned.
"Their presence is more than a distraction. It is a stain on the legacy of a true hero who made the ultimate sacrifice," he argued, adding that the leaders should feel "morally responsible" for the officer's killing.
4Cops take Officer Diller's body to the city morgue. William Miller
Vallelong's criticism of the Council echoed Adams' own comments during a press conference a few hours after Diller was shot.
During the emotional presser, Hizzoner called out the state's revolving door justice system, which he blamed for allowing recidivists like Rivera and the driver of the car, Lindy Jones, to be on the streets.
"We've always had a problem with recidivism, it's always been a problem but we've really never zeroed in on it with case after case," Adams told reporters.
At the time of the deadly shooting, Rivera had 21 prior arrests, mostly for drug-related crimes and assault.
He was spotted by cops Tuesday evening in a double-parked Kia Soul alongside Jones, 41, another career criminal with the nickname "Killa."
4Diller, 31, was allegedly shot in the stomach by career criminal Guy Rivera, 34, during a traffic stop in Queens on Monday evening.
The pair were approached by NYPD "quality of life" officers, including Diller, outside a T-Mobile store.
The carnage erupted when Rivera refused to get out of the vehicle and shot Diller through the midsection underneath his protective vest.
Rivera was injured when Diller's partner returned fire. As of Wednesday morning, he was still being treated at the hospital - where doctors found a small shiv stashed in his rectum.
Meanwhile, everyday New Yorkers went out of their way to pay tribute to the fallen cop.
By Wednesday morning, there was a sizable makeshift memorial outside the 101st Precinct, including a smattering of candles, flowers, and balloons.
One floral arrangement had a message from PS 104, which read "Officer Dillon a Hero," flanked by hearts.
"I used to be a cop…one of my friends died," one particularly distraught man told The Post while he dropped off his own flowers.
Also on Wednesday, the Survivors of the Shield, a group of NYPD widows and widowers, issued notice for a fundraiser to support Diller's wife, Stephanie, and their young son.
"We know what Stephanie and Ryan are going through because we've all been there," the announcement read.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Craig McCarthy
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Who's with Vincent J. Vallelong?
There is a very good chance that they will show up at the funeral and pathetically play victim when they are run out.