By Police1 Staff
NEW YORK CITY — Carmen Ojeda was pulled over while rushing her daughter Briana to the hospital because of an asthma attack.
During the frantic drive, Carmen was stopped by the police when she drove the wrong way down a one-way street. She told the officer her daughter needed CPR, but he said he did not know how to perform it, according to the New York Times. By the time Briana was brought into the hospital she was dead.
Since their daughter’s passing in 2010, Carmen and her husband, Michael, have been pushing state lawmakers to pass “Briana’s Law”, the publication reported. The bill would require officers around New York to be recertified as CPR proficient every two years.
With the help of the Ojedas, Assemblyman Felix W. Ortiz first introduced the bill in 2011, and four times again after that. The reintroductions came after officers didn’t perform CPR in 2013 on a man who had a fatal asthma attack while being detained, and after the controversial death of Eric Garner in 2014.
“We’re trying to pass this law for everyone,” Mr. Ojeda told the publication. “It’s like a double-edged sword. Not only are people dying, but police officers aren’t being trained to save lives. If you’re a human being and you don’t have this training, it’s got to affect you.”
Briana’s Law has passed through the State Assembly, but failed multiple times in the State Senate. Despite an offer from the American Red Cross to train a group of officers who could then train the rest of their departments, the bill has stalled because of perceived financial burdens to PDs, Mr. Ortiz told the NYT.