"My husband looked at him, turned and said 'I have a wife, I have children,' but he continued to shoot." Diane Piagentini

Redemption of a Cop Killer?

New York CityPolice Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones    

were ambushed in a premeditated attack in Harlem when responding

to a fabricated call for service on May 26, 1971. Anthony Bottom shot Officer Jones in the back of the head with a .45, and then in the neck, and then in the back, and then in the buttocks; Officer Jones died

instantly. Piagentini was shot 13 times and succumbed to his injuries while enroute to the hospital.

Anthony Bottom now resides in Monroe County under the assumed moniker Jalil Muntaqim. While we were outraged at his release and move to our community, most

complained and then moved on. Now, to add insult to injury, Bottom will be speaking at SUNY Brockport on April 6, 2022, about his " ...almost fifty years as a political prisoner..." This statement is not an accurate account of why he was in prison. He was in prison for the murder of two police officers and to say anything less is a disservice to their memory. As a Christian, God commands me to forgive. In the Old and New Testaments there are innumerable references to God's forgiveness and his expectation for us to forgive. So, as I sit here writing this, as I pray for victims of crime and their families, I also forgive and pray for those responsible for causing so much pain and suffering.

As a senior elected law enforcement officer of Monroe County, I take an oath to uphold the constitutions and laws of the United States and the State of New York. Implicit in that oath is the unwavering commitment to securing the safety and tranquility of our citizens. For this commitment, we ask little and sacrifice much. In an extreme instance, all is sacrificed. When this ultimate sacrifice occurs, our ask, our expectation, is that once lawfully convicted, those responsible receive the ultimate punishment our system of justice allows. Bottom has the right guaranteed by the First Amendment to enjoy freedom of expression no matter how distasteful. For a government agency to seek him out, advertise, accommodate and compensate him for his speech defies credulity.

There can be no earthly redemption for Bottom's heinous acts. His release was an abomination, his invitation to speak publicly to espouse his narrative of being a victim is abhorrent and an insult to the honor of the lives he destroyed. Forgiveness yes, redemption no.

-Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter