DOJ Seeks Benefits For Families Of Slain Officers

Associated PressPublished: December 22, 2014

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: Police officers line-up to pay their respects at a memorial during a vigil for two New York City police officers at the location where they were killed, December 21, 2014 in New York City. The police officers were shot execution style Saturday afternoon as they sat in their marked police car on a Brooklyn street corner. The suspect, who allegedly shot his girlfriend in Baltimore earlier in the day, is believed to have been motivated by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Attorney General Eric Holder is directing Justice Department officials to expedite death benefits to the families of two New York police officers who were fatally shot inside their patrol car.

A Justice Department official said Monday that Holder wants to ensure that the benefits are paid quickly and that the paperwork process begins as soon as possible. The official spoke on condition of anonymity since Holder's directive had not yet been announced.

The two officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, were ambushed inside their patrol car Saturday and shot to death. The suspected gunman ran into the subway station and committed suicide.

The benefits are administered by the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs and are paid to first responders who die in the line of duty.