'Common sense wave' coming in November after NYPD officer's death, GOP candidate says
A 25-year NYPD veteran running for Congress is hopeful that a long-overdue turning point for law enforcement is on the horizon following the murder of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller.
"[It's] not rocket science. It's 101. Hold criminals responsible for their actions," New York congressional candidate Alison Esposito told "Fox & Friends First" Monday.
"The government's number one job is to keep their people safe and then get out of their lives," she continued.
Diller's widow, Stephanie, delivered an emotional eulogy, Saturday, demanding change as thousands gathered to honor the 31-year-old fatally shot during a traffic stop by a suspect with a lengthy criminal history.
"How many more police officers and how many more families need to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?" Stephanie Diller pleaded.
Esposito said the heartbreaking words were reminiscent of two years ago, when the widow of fallen New York City Det. Jason Rivera tearfully remarked that the system "continues to fail us."
"Dominique Rivera begged our feckless leaders to do something about bail reform, to do something about holding criminals accountable. And it went on deaf ears. It fell on deaf ears. I pray that this is the change, the wake-up call that this city needs," Esposito said.
Esposito left her decades-long law enforcement career to run for New York lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. She is now looking to unseat Democrat Rep. Pat Ryan in swing District 18.
"This is a deep blue state, but it's really a red state with blue dots. And I submit that the last one and this coming one isn't a red wave. It is a red, white and blue wave. It is a common sense wave. This is Democrats, Republicans, Independents standing up and saying enough is enough. We want our public safety. We want to back our law enforcement first."
Guy Rivera, the 34-year-old suspect accused of opening fire on Diller and his partner in Queens, has 21 prior arrests.
"We need more work in education," Esposito continued. "We need more work making sure that children have things to do rather than turning to crime. But once the criminal is there, once they are violent repeat offenders, that's not when bail reform and criminal justice reform is supposed to take effect."