Memorial service in the Town of Clarkstown
MID-HUDSON – Words of condolence are being voiced around the Hudson Valley as they are across the country in the wake of a sniper’s ambush at a Dallas, Texas peace rally Thursday evening. In the end, the Army veteran killed five police officers and injured seven others and two civilians.
Police deployed a bomb-carrying robot to kill the man before he could kill again.
“Our hearts go out to the dead and wounded police officers and their families,” said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. “Ironically, those officers were targeted while they were performing their duty to protect the rights and safety of citizens who were exercising their constitutional right to criticize other police officers. That irony speaks volumes about the mentality of people who commit acts of violence like this,” the DA said. “Rather than resort to violence, I urge all of our citizens to support our law enforcement officers as they perform very difficult jobs, so that rather than bloodshed, we can have the meaningful dialogue necessary to ensure that all of us are kept safe, civilians and law enforcement officers alike.”
Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois also extended his thoughts and prayers to members of the Dallas Police Department, the families and the men and women of the law enforcement community “who selflessly place themselves in harm’s way every day.”
“As sheriff, I urge all emergency responders, especially police officers, to be aware of their surroundings. More now than ever, be suspicious when you have nothing to be suspicious about,” DuBois said
Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez, a retired member of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, extended the legislature’s “deepest sympathies and prayers” to the Dallas Police Department and their families. As a retired police officer, he feels the police are not given the support that is needed and people think they are expendable.
“We are always on alert; we are always cautious, but we always understand we are there to serve the public. We are not the enemy. It is an honor for us to serve people.” Alvarez said it is a “very emotional time” for him and “the worst nightmare for a brother police officer and his or her family.”
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney called the shootings “a painful and horrifying reminder of the sacrifices these heroic men and women make to keep our families safe.”
Maloney said those police officers “are emblematic of the values we cherish as a country, and we must honor their memories by coming together now across all our lines of difference to build respect and reduce violence in a strong and safer America.”
Clarkstown Town Hall conducted a moment of silence on Friday to honor the slain officers. “We come together as a community to mourn the lives of the officers who were brutally assassinated last night in Dallas,” said Supervisor George Hoehmann. “These officers were forever silenced while protecting the rights of others to free speech.”
Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino expressed the county’s condolences. “This tragedy sadly illustrates the importance and vulnerability of all of the men and women who dedicate their lives to keeping us safe,” he said. “They are our shields. But they are also fathers, mothers, friends and neighbors and in this case heroes. We cannot thank them – and their families – enough for the service and sacrifice they have made for all of us as Americans.”
