Send Letter To Parole Board Opposing Release of Trooper Killer
Monday, October 10, 2011Below is a letter from the Police Benevolent Association of New York State Troopers regarding their request for our members to write letters in opposition to a convicted Trooper killer being released from prison on parole:
Dear PBA members and supporters:
We are writing to ask for your support and action to ensure that a convicted felon who was involved in the killing of New York State Trooper Emerson J. Dillon decades ago remains in prison. John Ruzas, who was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years of life in the slaying of Trooper Dillon, is scheduled for a parole hearing during the week of November 14, 2011. We need your help to ensure Ruzas is denied parole and kept in prison, where he belongs.
Trooper Dillon, a 16-year veteran of the State Police, initiated a traffic stop along the Thruway, unaware the occupants of the vehicle were fleeing a jewelry store robbery. One of the passengers, Ruzas, shot Trooper Dillon in the left side of his heart, killing him. When Ruzas murdered Trooper Dillon, he was already on parole from Attica for his role in two robberies in New York City.
A husband and father of six, Trooper Dillon loved being a New York State Trooper. He acted bravely and heroically until the end, as he was able to fire two return shots as he backpedaled across four lanes of highway to try to reach safety. One of the shots struck the vehicle he had stopped.
The PBA has been in contact with the Dillon family, and they are of course strongly opposed to parole for this murderer. We have ensured that the Dillon family is in contact with the Division of Parole to have their voices heard.
In the past, we were able to send pre-written letters of opposition to the Parole Board via the CapWiz function on the PBA web site. However, at this time the Parole Board is not accepting that type of mass e-mail and is instead using an online form on its own web site.
To send a letter of opposition to the Board of Parole, please visit its web site by clicking on the following link: https://www.parole.state.ny.us/boardletters/forminput.jsp
Since the hearing date is not finalized yet and we want to ensure any delays within the parole system are mitigated, we are imploring you to take the following action IMMEDIATELY.
Please take the time to take action on this important endeavor!
After you fill in your personal information, you will see fields for “Din,” “Inmate Name” and “Subject of Your Email.” Here is what you will type in:
Then, in the “Comments” box, you can cut and paste the following letter:
As a police officer, I oppose the parole of John Ruzas, who was convicted of second-degree murder in the Oct. 24, 1974 slaying of State Trooper Emerson J. Dillon. Trooper Dillon was shot fatally in the heart by Ruzas while conducting a traffic stop. When Ruzas murdered Trooper Dillon, he was on parole from Attica for his role in two robberies. Ruzas has no respect for the criminal justice system or the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to protect the public. The tragedy of the death of a State Trooper, husband, father, brother, and son would be compounded by the release of Ruzas.
