It’s been a decade since two officers of the New York Police Department met a grim fate, shot to death while on patrol in Brooklyn. This wave of violence rolled in amidst citywide demonstrations protesting police excesses, triggered by the unfortunate demise of Eric Garner. In an incident that shocked the world, Garner was put under an unlawful chokehold by an NYPD officer who was never prosecuted. In the wake of such heightened tensions, the incident featuring officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu acted as a catalyst, reshaping the dynamic between the law enforcement agencies and the citizens of New York City.
After the gruesome incident of 2014 where the two officers lost their lives tragically, the law enforcement agencies took swift action, devising new protocols to ensure officer safety. As time passed, public sentiments towards criminal justice reform saw an ebb and flow. The arrowhead of these transformations were the grieving families of the fallen officers who have continuously highlighted the need for persistent efforts to bridge the trust deficit between police and the communities they serve.
During that turbulent period, the police force felt a sense of abandonment from then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was seen as sympathetic towards protestors. Their resentment was symbolized by hundreds of officers turning their backs on the Mayor at the hospital where their slain colleagues were taken, as well as at the funeral of one of them. As the decade progressed, the city saw an escalation in activism marked by demonstrations in 2020 – the primary demand being criminal justice reform and decrease in police funding.
After the introduction of these reforms, a section of the populace voiced fears over a perceived increase in public disorder and a sense of insecurity. Those fears culminated in the election of Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, in 2021. Adams, whose campaign promises were built around law and order, gave the city a new lead to follow. As of now, both law enforcement and the public are working to mend their fragile relationship.
Taking you back to that fateful day on December 20, 2014, officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were stationed at the crossing of Myrtle and Tompkins avenues in Brooklyn. It was here that Ismaaiyl Brinsley approached them, firing four fatal rounds from his semi-automatic weapon through the passenger window, targeting the heads and torsos of the officers. He subsequently fled to the Myrtle-Willoughby Avenues subway station where he turned his weapon upon himself.
On the same day, prior to the deadly incident, Brinsley had shot his girlfriend in Baltimore and made his way to New York. He openly expressed his ill intentions towards law enforcement on his social media platform, alluding to recent events involving law enforcement officials causing the deaths of black men – Eric Garner in Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. ‘I will be giving wings to pigs today,’ Brinsley posted on social media, signifying his menacing plan.
Despite the gloomy context, there were silver linings in the form of improvements in safety protocols and technology adoption in law enforcement. The NYPD executed several strategies such as deploying bulletproof patrol cars and equipping their personnel with smartphones. New specialized units were introduced for intelligence-related operations, including the Strategic Response Group and the Critical Response Command, assigned with handling counter-terrorism and protest responses.
When the fatal attack on Ramos and Liu occurred, critical details about Brinsley’s intentions were being shared from Baltimore. Regrettably, due to outdated teletype machines, this intelligence couldn’t reach patrol officers like Liu and Ramos. Six years onward, the murder of George Floyd by an officer in Minneapolis spurred a new wave of protests in New York, leading to legal reforms like the repeal of the ’50-a’ state law that had hitherto kept police disciplinary records concealed.
The demonstrations in 2020 gave rise to the ‘defund the police’ movement which led to a reduction of $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget. Additionally, the state Attorney General’s office was invested with more power to oversee local police departments. Although the reforms are still intact, the NYPD’s budget has returned to its pre-‘defund’ levels without accounting for inflation.
According to Jim Bueermann, a former police chief from California and a member of a reform-oriented police think tank, improvements in policing are noticeable. He suggests that the contemporary state of police service is the best it has been in history, attributing it to more literate police leaders who are keen on identifying and catering to community needs. To Bueermann, the unfortunate demise of Ramos and Liu had a profound impact on NYPD, spurring a shift towards professionalism nationwide.
This shift led to the hiring of more academically proficient officers who could better reflect their communities’ demographics. While the force has come a long way in showcasing diversity, leaders of color still remain underrepresented, with approximately half of the NYPD’s leadership roles held by white individuals.
Under the leadership of Mayor Adams, there’s been a shift towards a more proactive approach in policing. This includes tackling minor offenses and expressing dissatisfaction over 2020’s cash-bail reforms. Still, according to the NYC Police Benevolent Association’s president, Patrick Hendry, the strain that marked Liu and Ramos’s death refuses to fade.
Hendry highlights the harmful anti-police narrative that roams freely, linking it to the motivations behind the tragedy that struck Liu and Ramos. He cautions that this risky discourse threatens not only law enforcement but also their families, and calls for solidarity in support of the brave guardians of the city.
To help mend the strained relationship between law enforcement and the community, Rafael Ramos’ widow, Maritza Ramos, and his colleague Jose Falero established the Detective Rafael Ramos Foundation. This organization arranges toy giveaways whereby uniformed officers interact with children in the community, building a bridge of trust.
Further efforts to support the kin of fallen officers came from Wenjian Liu’s widow, Pei Xia Chen. She founded the Wenjian Liu Foundation, and inspired by her own experience of finding companionship in her therapy dog, Liuliu, the foundation has trained a total of nine such dogs to provide solace to families who have suffered similar losses.
However, Chen has noted that the media and political rhetoric often vilifies law enforcement. She calls for increased public support for police instead of baseless critiques. True to her words, ongoing efforts from both sides of the divide are seen working tirelessly to bridge the tumultuous gap between law enforcement and the community they are sworn to protect.