I will never forget the day that Paul Ruotolo (who later became an employee of the Greenburgh sanitation department) called me -telling me that his brother, a police officer, was murdered by a cop killer in the Bronx. And, I will never forget the day of Officer Ruotolo’s funeral — the streets were lined up with thousands of police officers and residents of the River Villages, Greenburgh and the region paying their respects to an officer dedicated to protecting us from harm.
Serving as a Police Officer is dangerous. Police officers risk their lives for all of us every single day and night. Every time they stop a car, respond to a 911 emergency call, patrol the streets they do not know what will happen to them. Former Dobbs Ferry resident and NY Police Officer Thomas Ruotolo was gunned down by a two time killer in 1984. The gunman shot and killed Officer Ruotolo when he was on parole. He has served nearly 40 years behind bars since then and is up for parole again. He killed two people
I will be writing to the Parole Board this week asking that the Parole Board deny the killer parole. Denying a killer of a police officer parole will serve as a deterrent to others who are considering similar action. We need severe punishments. We need to send a strong message that we appreciate the risks our police take every day to protect us. And those who commit killings pose an ongoing threat to our society. Granting parole would send the wrong statement to the community that we do not support our law enforcement.
I have stayed friendly with Paul Ruotolo over the years. When I spoke to him today he mentioned that he is still grieving the loss of his brother. It is something you never get over. I miss him very much and miss our friendship and at family events. We can never get him back.
If you agree that the Officer Ruotolo’s killer should not be released please write to the Board of Parole, the Harriman State Campus, 1220 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12226 2050. The telephone is 518 473 4069.
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