The Anti-Defamation League on
Sunday praised the New York City Police Department for arresting a former
officer for anti-Semitic hate crimes.
Former NYPD officer Michael
Setiawan, 36, was charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime, aggravated harassment
as a hate crime and criminal mischief, after being arrested for spray painting
graffiti that included anti-Semitic slurs on a dozen locations on a Borough
Park, Brooklyn, Jewish girls school on Saturday.
In a statement, Evan R.
Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director, said, “We applaud the NYPD Hate
Crimes Task Force for their swift and diligent investigation of this hateful
crime. The expeditious arrest and charges send a clear message that crimes like
this are not tolerated in our community, and that perpetrators of these crimes
will face serious and immediate consequences for their actions. It is
distressing that a person once sworn to protect could do something like this.”
“Unfortunately, while we have
seen an overall decrease in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in our city
over the past few years, Jewish New Yorkers and Jewish institutions are still
being targeted and such acts are vivid reminders that we must remain vigilant
in our response,” Bernstein said.
“We commend the various public
figures, including Council members David Greenfield, Brad Lander, and Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, for their strong condemnations and steadfast
work in combating hate in our communities.”
According to ADL’s annual audit
of Anti-Semitic Incidents, New York City experienced a total of 133 incidents
in 2013, including acts of assault, harassment and vandalism, compared to 172
incidents in 2012.