PUBLIUS SPECIAL GUEST: Lee Habeeb, creator and host of Our American Stories, a podcast and weekly syndicated radio show.
It's been nearly a month since New York City police officer Jonathan Diller's funeral, the first NYC cop to lose his life in the line of duty in two years. America knows the names of the few bad cops in America who abuse their power. But they need to know the names of the good cops too, especially those who gave their lives protecting us from the evil and peril around us. Which is why Americans need to know the story of Jonathan Diller. Not just how he died but how he lived.
Diller, who joined the NYPD in 2021, lost his life doing the kind of routine work cops do that can quickly turn deadly. He and his partner were investigating an illegally parked SUV in the Far Rockaway section of Queens when a 34-year-old with a long rap sheet pulled out a gun and opened fire at the officers. Diller was hit in the torso just below his bulletproof vest. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, but his wounds were too severe.
His funeral was a solemn affair as friends and fellow policemen—thousands of cops from across the tristate area—gathered inside and outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa, the cry of bagpipes and drums echoing through the streets as Diller's flag-draped casket made its way through the crowd. There were several speakers, none more moving than his wife, Stephanie, who stood at the podium alongside her 1-year-old son, Ryan.
I am so proud that thousands of people around the country are calling Jonathan a hero, but the truth is he has always been a hero to Ryan and me. The rest of the world is just catching up.
Stephanie talked about Jonathan's family life, his upbringing in Long Island and the type of guy he was when he was young.
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BIO: Lee Habeeb, creator and host of Our American Stories, co-founded Laura Ingraham’s national radio show in 2001, moved to Salem Media Group in 2008 as Vice President of Content overseeing their nationally syndicated lineup, and launched Our American Stories in 2016. He is a University of Virginia School of Law graduate, and writes a weekly column for Newsweek.
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Lee Habeeb, creator and host of Our American Stories, a podcast and weekly syndicated radio show.