Regional Briefs – December 31,2014

NYC Student Stands by Pro-Violence Op-Ed

NEW YORK – A student who wrote an editorial in a student paper supporting violence won’t remove it even after the executions of the two NYPD cops last week, Capital New York reported. But Gordon Barnes, a history Ph.D. in CUNY, said he wasn’t referring to the shootings.

N.Y. Senate to Hold Hearings on Police Safety

ALBANY – The state Senate will next month hold hearings on the risks facing officers, The Associated Press reported. They will also review police disability and death benefits, and the effectiveness of “community policing.”

Jury Awards $100K in NYPD Incident

NEW YORK – A federal jury awarded $100,000 to a Brooklyn dishwasher who had his finger broken during a police struggle in 2012, the Daily News reported. Rodger Ricketts was ordered off a train for walking between cars. When a knife dropped out of his clothes, police hit him.

Cuomo Won’t Let Queens DA Prosecute in Rikers

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill transferring jurisdiction to prosecute crimes at Rikers Island from the Bronx DA to Queens’s, The Associated Press reported. The bill, which passed the legislature almost unanimously, was backed by the guards’ union but opposed by civil rights groups. Rikers is located in the Bronx and both DAs wanted to keep it there.

Mayor Faces Drunken Driving Charge

PAULSBORO, N.J. – A New Jersey mayor is facing drunken driving charges, the South Jersey Times reported. First-term Paulsboro Mayor W. Jeffery Hamilton was arrested after officers responded to a call reporting an erratic driver.

Passenger Pulls Knife on Train Conductor

RED BANK, N.J. – A passenger who pulled a knife on a NJ Transit conductor Tuesday morning was arrested, The Associated Press reported. It is unknown what sparked the confrontation, which held up the train for 13 minutes while the arrest took place.

Shoplifters Hide Loot Under Infant

CHERRY HILL, N.J. – Two women face shoplifting charges for concealing hundreds of dollars of cosmetics underneath a four-month-old infant, The Associated Press reported. Amanda Platt, 21, and Pornthip Charoensook, 34, were charged on Saturday.

N.Y. Bans Sale of Liquid Nicotine to Minors

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed a ban on the sale of liquid nicotine to minors — 18 in the state, 21 in New York City — requiring childproof containers for the substance. Liquid nicotine is used in e-cigarettes. More than half of calls to poison control about liquid nicotine involve young children.

This article appeared in print on page 18 of the December 31st, 2014 edition of Hamodia.