NJ police on alert after NYPD officer gunned down

<p>New Jersey police officers say that they are being more vigilant after a New York City police officer was gunned down in what is being called an execution-style killing.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 7, 2017, 2:45 AM

Updated 2,495 days ago

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New Jersey police officers say that they are being more vigilant after a New York City police officer was gunned down in what is being called an execution-style killing.
NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia was shot and killed by Alexander Bonds early Wednesday morning. Officials say that Bonds’s girlfriend had called police a few hours before the killing to say that he was acting paranoid about police and EMS personnel. She had recently taken Bonds for a psychiatric evaluation, according to the NYPD.
New Jersey law enforcement officials say that there are several things that can be done to protect officers in the Garden State.
Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart Jr. says that the mantra “If you see something, say something,” should also apply online. Bonds had reportedly made several anti-police posts on Facebook.
“When they see something like this going on on social media, one of those rant type things, that might be someone who is not on the law enforcement radar,” Stewart says.
Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose says that officers are vigilant, but face too many illegal guns. He estimates that the Newark Police Department has seized about 200 illegal firearms this year.
Ambrose says that controlling the flow of guns into New Jersey could protect officers.
“If you look at the ambushes, they're all done with firearms. They weren't done with vehicles or knives, they were done with firearms,” he says.
NYPD officials say that they are considering outfitting nearly 4,000 police vehicles with bullet-resistant glass. Officer Familia was killed while sitting inside a mobile command vehicle.
The New Jersey state FOP has legislation being considered in the Assembly that would tint the windows of marked police vehicles. It is named for Jersey City Police Detective Melvin Santiago, as well as two NYPD officers who were killed in the line of duty
Stewart says that while it won’t stop bullets, it could provide cover.
“Makes it a little more difficult to actually see who’s in the radio car,” he says.
Ambrose and Stewart both say that these random attacks can be difficult to prevent.
“You have somebody hell-bent on causing havoc, it’s very difficult to stop that person,” Stewart says.


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