As a 36-year NYPD veteran who now serves as president of the 13,000-member Sergeants Benevolent Association, I can say without equivocation that the sentencing of Sgt. Erik Duran will forever be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the law-enforcement profession.
In what can only be described as an egregious miscarriage of justice, Duran, a 16-year veteran with an exemplary record, was hauled out of Bronx Criminal Court after being sentenced by Judge Guy Mitchell to 3 to 9 years in prison.
Duran was convicted after a bench trial in February of manslaughter in the second degree for causing the death of Eric Duprey, a drug dealer with a criminal record.
Caught selling coke
While trying to escape arrest in an August 2023 buy-and-bust operation, Duprey fled the scene after he was caught selling cocaine to an undercover cop.
He fled on his motor scooter, recklessly driving down a sidewalk teeming with people at speeds up to 30 mph.
Sgt. Duran made a split-second decision to thwart Duprey’s potentially deadly path.
Duran grabbed a water cooler and threw it toward Duprey, who crashed the vehicle and died of a head injury.
There was no malice in Sgt. Duran’s actions.
His only intention was to ensure the safety of the public and his fellow officers.
Duran’s sentencing sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide.
Career destroyed
They will be stripped of their freedom with their lives and careers destroyed, for simply doing what they are trained to do — protect the public.
At the sentencing, Judge Mitchell claimed his sentencing rationale was that Sgt. Duran could have and should have just let him go and found him another day.
When judges Monday-morning-quarterback police officers and instruct them to let suspects go, the public’s safety is seriously compromised.
That’s not justice.
That’s negligence.
Moving forward, the SBA will support Sgt. Duran and his heartbroken family throughout his appeal until this miscarriage of justice is rectified.
Sgt. Duran, who served the NYPD with dedication and helped save lives throughout his career, deserves nothing less.
Vincent J. Vallelong is a 36-year NYPD veteran who currently serves as the president of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association
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