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Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman blasted a recent conviction and vowed to pardon the recently sentenced “cooler cop” on day one of his potential administration.
Blakeman, the current Nassau County executive, was joined by local GOP politicians including former Congressman Peter King over the recent three-year sentencing for ex-Sgt. Erik Duran, who killed a drug suspect in 2023 by chucking a cooler.
“I will pardon Sergeant Duran so that he does not have to spend one more day in prison, so that he does not have this terrible conviction against him that not only as a father of three, as a distinguished and honorable police officer for 13 years, have this on his record,” Blakeman said on the steps of City Hall Monday.
Blakeman was also joined by Queens GOP Councilwomen Joanne Ariola and Vickie Paladino as well as Republican Attorney General candidate Saritha Komatireddy — who he said would be helpful in rolling back anti-police policies across New York state.
“In today’s New York, a Hispanic man who is a violent criminal and here illegally will be treated with a lighter hand than a Hispanic man like Eric Duran — the son of two Ecuadorian immigrants who grew up in the Bronx and tried to do the right thing and help his community by becoming a cop,” Komatireddy said.
Ariola said that change in the governor’s mansion was the only chance to help tame quality-of-life issues caused by crime across the Big Apple.
“We will not have any change until we change the executive office in Albany that will bring the change we need for bail reform. That will bring the change we need for raising for the raising age debacle that we have now,” Ariola said, referring to controversial criminal justice laws.
King, whose father was an NYPD cop for over three decades, said the sentencing was due to liberal leadership across New York.
“This is part of the atmosphere created by Kathy Hochul, by Letitia James, by Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani — the whole liberal, woke force that’s too active in the city and state,” King said.
A rep. for Gov. Kathy Hochul did not respond to whether the governor would consider a pardon.
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