The widow of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller called on the city to get tougher on crime and do more to protect its police officers during her husband’s funeral Saturday, claiming that change demanded by another cop’s widow two years ago never materialized.
“At the funeral for Detective Rivera two and a half years ago, his wife Dominique pleaded for change,” Stephanie Diller said to a packed crowd at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church in Massapequa. “That change never came and now my son will never know his father and I will grow old without my husband,” the New York Daily News reports.
Overflowing crowds both inside and outside the church applauded Stephanie Diller’s pleas Saturday, which came after a heartfelt trip down memory lane about her beloved husband, who was shot dead last Monday in Queens.
“This is a devastating, senseless loss for so many,” Stephanie said, choking up during her speech. “It’s a shame someone who was so positive was given such a negative ending. It breaks my heart knowing that Ryan will grow up without his dad. There was so much [Jonathan] wanted to teach him.
“How many more police officers and their families will have to make the ultimate sacrifice before the city protects them?” she asked.
