Stiff Penalty Urged for Assault on Retired Officer

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly called on a Queens judge yesterday to impose a stiff penalty on a suspect accused of assaulting a retired police officer.

The suspect, Joseph Manzi, allegedly assaulted retired police Captain Charles Stravalle in June 2007 in retaliation for having been arrested by the officer on drug charges in 2002. While Mr. Manzi would have been charged with a felony if Mr. Stravalle was on the force at the time of the attack, Judge James Griffin is reviewing a plea deal that would keep the suspect out of jail.

"The serious consequences for assaulting a police officer should extend to anyone who retaliates against a retired officer for having enforced the law while still on the job," Mr. Kelly said in a statement. "Anything less would only encourage future attacks on police officers, prosecutors and judges. The attacker should not be rewarded with leniency simply because he waited until Captain Stravelle retired to assault him."