The following contains editorial content which is the opinion of the writer, a retired Police Chief and staff writer for Law Enforcement Today.
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SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY- Lest there be any questions about why college graduates come out of four year universities as leftist radicals, another example came forth this week from a professor at Stony Brook University in New York who believes officers who defend their lives from a knife-wielding psychopath who was attacking them are somehow guilty of murder, the Washington Examiner reports.
On December 28, Suffolk County, NY officers were dispatched to a call reporting a suspect was armed with a fire extinguisher and was threatening his roommate, reports said.
Upon arrival and without provocation, the suspect attacked officers on their arrival at the scene, stabbing two officers, both of whom suffered serious wounds. One of the officers suffered life-threatening wounds to his neck.
One of the officers was able to gather his composure and was able to fatally dispatch the suspect, which caught the attention of our far-left lunatic college professor, Anna Hayward. Because we’re sure in her lengthy police academy training (none), she’s had the opportunity to have armed lunatics coming after her with a knife.
Stony Brook University Professor Dr. Anna Hayward displayed a stunning level of ignorance when she callously commented on Stony Brook's official page condemning the actions of these hero cops who stopped an armed criminal and saved others from harm.
— SUFFOLK COUNTY PBA (@SuffolkPBA) January 3, 2023
“This was a wellness check—why didn’t they deescalate the situation?” Hayward asked in a now-deleted comment on Stony Brook Medicine’s Instagram update about the officers. “Why did a man have to die? What about the man they murdered?” she added.
Now we’ll concede that Hayward is literally too stupid to insult and doesn’t belong within 1,000 feet of a college classroom. Yet she’s but one of probably thousands of far left idealogues who pollute the minds of our young college students every day. Hayward’s comments caught the attention of Suffolk County PBA Vice President Lou Civello, who slammed Hayward’s absurd allegations.
“While a Suffolk County Police Officer fights for his life after being stabbed in the neck, an anti-police professor slanderously referred to him and his partner as murderers,” Civello said.
“Stony Brook University professor Dr. Anna Hayward displayed a stunning level of ignorance when she callously commented on Stony Brook’s official page denouncing the police and condemning the actions of these hero cops who stopped an armed criminal and saved others from harm.”
Civello added that Hayward’s social media is chock-full of anti-police posts.
“Stony Brook University must denounce Dr. Hayward’s hateful comments and should put an end to the harmful anti-police bias in their program,” Civello said. “Stony Brook University Medical Center’s outstanding care performed a miracle in saving these police officers’ lives. It’s shameful that Dr. Hayward would sully the reputation of the entire Stony Brook community with her anti-police rhetoric.”
In a Monday statement, university officials spoke to Hayward’s comments, however, did not seem to condemn her words.
“We appreciate the members of law enforcement who work to keep our community safe, and we are proud of our doctors at Stony Brook Medicine for the quality medical care they provided the injured officers; we wish them a speedy recovery,” the statement read. “The comments made online were from what appears to be a faculty member’s private account that is not affiliated with Stony Brook University.”
A look at Hayward’s bio on Stony Brook’s website pretty much tells it all. She works in the School of Social Welfare and has researched matters such as “environmental and ecological justice including the impact of climate change and natural disasters,” as well as “parental incarceration and its impact on families and children.”
The New York Post reached out to Hayward via email for requests to comment, however she didn’t answer those requests. The Post also noted that her anti-cop screed about the Suffolk County officers “murdering” the suspect had been removed from Instagram, however screen grabs of the comments were taken beforehand.
Meanwhile, a man who attacked New York City police officers with a machete near Times Square on New Year’s Eve is believed to have wanted to commit “jihad” against government officials, to the point where he shouted “Allahu Akbar” prior to striking one officer in the head with the machete, prosecutors said, according to CBS News.
Trevor Bickford, 19, from Wells, Maine was shot by police during the confrontation, however, was arraigned via video from a Manhattan hospital room. He is being held without bail and is under guard by NYPD officers.
Bickford is charged with attempted murder of two NYPC officers, assault and attempted assault. If convicted, he would face a mandatory life sentence. Two other officers were also injured.
According to Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Lucy Nicholas, Bickford “specifically traveled from New York to Maine in order to begin carrying out his crimes of murder of government officials,” and arrived in the Big Apple days before the attack.
Bickford had purchased an Amtrak ticket to travel to Miami and was intent on traveling abroad, however “decided to come to New York first in order to kill people and carry out jihad,” Nicholas said. She added that he has no known ties to New York City or the state of New York.
Bickford told investigators that “all government officials” were on his list of people to be targeted primarily due to U.S. support of Israel, including police officers. He claimed he deliberately avoided targeting civilians from harm. Investigators are currently looking to see if he was motivated by Islamic extremism.
The attack occurred only hours before midnight on New Year’s Eve, just outside the area where those attending the Times Square festivities are screened for weapons before gaining entry.
One officer suffered a fractured skull, while another suffered a severe laceration. Both officers are expected to recover. Authorities believe Bickford acted as a lone wolf.
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