FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 May 2006
CONTACT:  Tim Richardson, 202-547-8189

Fraternal Order of Police

 
 

F.O.P. Supports House Resolution Condemning Honor for Cop-Killer

 
Chuck Canterbury, president of the National Fraternal Order of Police, applauded the introduction of H. Con. Res. 407, which condemns the decision of the city of St-Denis in France to name a street in honor of the man that killed Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.

 

"On May 15th, our nation observed National Peace Officers' Memorial Day, a time of reflection across our country to honor and remember the law enforcement officers who gave their lives while serving and protecting our communities," said Canterbury. "To honor a cop-killer, especially at this time, is deeply offensive to law enforcement officers, their families, to the city of Philadelphia, and to the United States as a whole."

 

A street in St-Denis, a suburb of Paris, now bears the alias of Officer Faulkner's racist killer, Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of murder in 1982 based on the sworn testimony of numerous eyewitnesses and overwhelming forensic evidence. Though sentenced to death, Abu-Jamal has avoided justice by abusing the appeals process at every level of the case. His deft manipulation of the media and his network of supporters who do not know or do not care that he is a murderer have conveyed on him a perverse celebrity status.

 

"Renaming streets should be an honor afforded to those who have positively impacted their communities or fellow men," Canterbury said. "This cold-blooded killer did no such thing -- he killed a man sworn to protect his community. How can we as a nation not be outraged?"

 

The resolution, introduced by Representative Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D-Pa.), condemns the decision to rename the street in honor of this killer, urges St- Denis to change the name and calls on the national government of France to take steps against St-Denis if the city refuses to do so. The resolution also honors law enforcement officers worldwide for public service and commitment to public safety.

 

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The Fraternal Order of Police is the nation's largest organization of law enforcement professionals, with more than 324,000 members.

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