PBA slams release of driver who killed cop

The union representing Suffolk County police on Friday blasted the release from prison of a Plainview man who admitted causing an accident that killed Police Officer Glen Ciano.

Suffolk PBA president Jeff Frayler said Jose Borbon, who was released Monday from the Gowanda medium-security prison in Erie County, should have stayed behind bars.

"I think it's a travesty that Borbon is out in society when the children and widow of police Officer Ciano are going be without their husband and father forever," Frayler said. "He showed no remorse."

Borbon, 25, who admitted driving drunk and talking on his cellphone when he struck Ciano's police cruiser in Commack in February 2009, spent a total of 2 years and 8 months behind bars -- including 9 months in state prison.

He pleaded guilty last year to vehicular manslaughter and aggravated driving while intoxicated. He was sentenced in January to 11/3 to 4 years in prison. The nearly two years he spent in Suffolk County jail before sentencing counted as time served.

Borbon, who has a wife and two kids, plans to find a job, said his attorney, William Petrillo of Rockville Centre. He had work-ed as a karate instructor and at a family-owned restaurant.

Borbon's driver's license is suspended. He cannot reapply for a license until he completes probation in February 2013, state correctional officials said.

"He received a fair sentence based upon the facts of the case," Petrillo said Friday. "He remains remorseful. His heart truly goes out to the Ciano family, and he plans to be a productive member of society."

In a letter to the state parole board, prosecutors said, "The best way to ensure the safety of the community is to keep the defendant locked away and off the road for the maximum time permitted by law."

Ciano, 45, of Bayport, died Feb. 22, 2009, when his cruiser struck a utility pole and exploded on impact after colliding with Borbon's vehicle at Vanderbilt Motor Parkway and Commack Road. Borbon's blood-alcohol content was 0.19 percent -- more than twice the state legal limit of 0.08 percent.

He was sentenced last year to a year in jail for driving drunk in Nassau County six weeks before striking Ciano's cruiser. Borbon also was convicted of misdemeanor drug possession in a separate case.

"In my mind, it does not appear that he's ever going to be a model citizen," Frayler said.

Frayler said Ciano's widow, Susan, would not comment and authorized the PBA to speak for her. Glen Ciano had two kids.

Borbon committed no infractions in prison, said a spokeswoman for the state Department of Correctional Services.