Defending cop killers? Why is New York's mayor infuriating America

The long-standing tensions between the mayor of New York City and the NYPD seems about to come to a head, following a Sunday appearance by Mayor Bill de Blaisio at St. Patrick's Cathedral where a mourning service was held for two officers who were killed in Brooklyn the previous day.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Cardinal Timothy Dolan precised over the service of those who had come to pray for the families of their "brothers and sisters in uniform."

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"We pray for our leaders as well," he said. "You've done what so many New Yorkers do in times of trial. You've come to St. Patrick's."

New York has seen weeks of protests regarding the issues of police conduct and race following a grand jury's decision not to indict a NYPD officer of killing Eric Garner, who was choked to death in July of 2014.

Two officers were shot and killed by a black individual who bragged about getting even for Garner's death on social media before shooting his girlfriend, the two officers and then killing himself.

Mayor de Blasio has been criticized by police unions and advocacy groups over his pledge to reform the NYPD in the wake of these attacks and the Garner incident. While leaving a hospital to address the public about the deaths of the two officers, union leaders and police officers turned their backs to him.

De Blasio started his crusade against the NYPD while he was campaigning. He called police conduct under Bloomberg overreaching, and this has been viewed as an attack by city police, which has displaced any trust they had in him.

"This is a nightmare of the highest magnitude for everyone," said the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, Michael Palladino. Palladino said that elected leaders in City Hall "need to dig down deep in their souls and understand that campaigning to be a leader is easier than being a leader."

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