Matt Slater and Congressman Lee Zeldin speak to Alice DeMatte, widow of Larchmont Police Office Arthur DeMatte who was killed in the line of duty in 1976.
WHITE PLAINS, NY - In 1976 Larchmont Police Officer Arthur DeMatte was shot and killed by Anthony Blanks after DeMatte tried rescuing a man from the railroad tracks. Blanks was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years to life but was granted parole and could leave Sing Sing Prison on October 18th. On Wednesday, Matt Slater joined prominent officials including Congressman Lee Zeldin and Assemblyman Mike Lawler to call for reforms to New York State's parole board.
Matt Slater, Yorktown Town Supervisor and candidate for the 94th Assembly District said, "The New York State Parole Board has an established history of letting cop killers and dangerous criminals back on our streets. Cop killers like Anthony Blanks should not be parole eligible - ever. New York State must end this dangerous era of kowtowing to criminals, ignoring victims and demonizing police."
Slater has garnered support from law enforcement associations across New York State. Repealing the current cashless bail system and preventing the defunding of police agencies are two of Slater's priorities as he vies for the 94th Assembly District.
Mike Hagen, President of the Westchester County Police PBA applauded Slater's stance saying, "Consequences matter and if someone is convicted of killing a police officer, that consequence must be a life sentence with no parole. As our elected leaders allow cop killers to go free, they increase the danger that every working police officer faces every time they go to work. Elected officials have applied the same failed ideology to the application of laws throughout our state, reducing or eliminating the consequences for committing crimes, resulting in steep increases in violent crime across all of our communities."
Among the organizations supporting Slater are the Affiliated Police Association of Westchester, New York State Troopers PBA, Detectives Endowment Association, New York City PBA, Westchester County PBA, New York State Fraternal Police, the PBA of New York State, the Police Conference of New York, Westchester SOA, Westchester COBA and the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association and the White Plains PBA.