Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan, who is set to present the Eric Garner case to a grand jury, defended the NYPD’s “broken windows” theory of policing Sunday — including the illegal-cigarettes crackdown that led to Garner’s arrest and death.
“I’ve been a fan of enforcing all the laws,” Donovan said on John Catsimatidis’ radio show on AM 970 The Answer. Illegally selling smokes “may be a minor crime, but it’s still in fact a crime,’’ he added, addressing some who say cops are too aggressive when it comes to minor offenses.
Garner died on July 17 after an undercover cop put him in a chokehold while trying to arrest him for allegedly selling loose cigarettes.
“If there is something in our criminal laws that our legislators have passed, it’s the duty of the police to enforce those, and it’s my duty to prosecute the offenders of those laws,” the DA said.
Donovan did not discuss specific details of the Garner case, which is expected to go to a grand jury next month. He only said that his investigation into the death led to “the biggest allocation of resources since I’ve taken office.”
On the same show, ex-Gov. David Paterson said he doesn’t think Donovan can remain totally impartial — because he “works with the police all the time.”