Senator Gallivan Issues Statement on the Release of Convicted Cop Killer Herman Bell

Jim Ranney

March 14, 2018

“I am incredibly shocked and dismayed that the Parole Board saw fit to release Herman Bell, the heartless, cold blooded murderer who lured two New York City Police Officers into a Harlem Housing Project in 1971 for the sole purpose of killing them, a crime today punishable by life imprisonment without parole.

The fact that they ignored these disgraceful actions, the voices of the victims’ families and the voices of thousands of New Yorkers flies in the face of applicable law and is an affront to all law abiding citizens.

While there may be no recourse in this case, as Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, I will review their decision, their operations, and closely monitor their future activities in an effort to ensure their accountability to the citizens they are supposed to serve.”