What Rudy Giuliani did as Mayor in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Dorismond was not lawful in the eyes of many.

Dorismond was a security guard and father of two children who was killed by an undercover NY Police Department officer.

Giuliani decided to release Dorismond’s Juvenile record and declared Dorismond was “no altar boy.”

But the move caused a firestorm of criticism at Giuliani because the juvenile record had been sealed, and you can’t make this stuff up, Dorismond had actually served in that capacity, as an “altar boy.”

I remember the situation well, because no journalist challenged Giuliani more than I did on the Dorismond case. Many times Giuliani and I would go after each other. On this day in question, (and our exchange on Dorismond has actually been transcribed in books) I was shouting my questions, and he was trying to deflect, chastise me, and quickly take a question from another reporter.

This case is just one example of Giuliani. “America’s Mayor” following 9/11, and tough as nails on crime but does Rudy’s behavior in Dorismond mean that we should all be happy about his daughter’s situation?

Of course not!

I for one, am glad things worked out for Caroline Giuliani following her shoplifting arrest. Just as I would be for any young person in a similar situation.

The public has a right to know- when something involves family members of politicians but think about it, this is a situation that went way overboard . Name one young person that hasn’t made a mistake, and I will tell you the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale.

Now, if she received special treatment, that would be something different, but based on the outcome,it appears that Caroline was treated like everyone else. Her punishment was standard for non violent first time petty offenders. A plea deal known as an “ACD”, where Giuliani did not admit any guilt, and was sentenced to one day of community service reportedly with the city Sanitation Department.

Judge Jennifer Schecter gave out the sentence telling Giuliani “Stay out of trouble and avoid re-arrest.

Giuliani, a theater student at Harvard, was apparently caught on security cameras at Sephora on East 86th Street stuffing makeup into her jacket pocket on Aug. 4 shortly before 2 p.m.

Schecter said the matter would be dismissed in six months because she is a first time offender.

Prosecutors said Giuliani stole $100.50 worth of stuff when she was arrested.

It’s not easy growing up with a city of 8 million people watching, and a polarizing father as Mayor.

Do we think the Obama daughters are not going to make mistakes? Imagine the awkwardness of Malia Obama growing into her teen years and possibly dating while her father is the President of the United States, and with an army of Secret Service agents in tow. Amy Carter had her issues, the Bush daughters, the list goes on and on.

In Caroline’s case, her father’s the mayor, her mother is a television personality, and if that’s not enough, then there is a nasty divorce.

No, I’ m not making excuses for Caroline. It just seems cruel in our society, and especially with elected officials that are not our cup of tea, that some of us just wait for the children to make a mistake, and then we pounce with excitement.

Was Caroline Giuliani treated like the average person in this type of situation?

Well, perception is everything.

There are some of you that no matter what I say will believe with all your heart that with her background and Harvard education, she received preferential treatment.

"Open your eyes Dominic." You might say. "This was just a slap on the wrist."

I make the case that Caroline Giuliani wasn’t treated fairly. She was treated worse than most. Did this really warrant Front page news? International News? Days in the news cycle. People are killed, the budget situation, two wars, the recession, and the headline is Caroline Giuliani?

Politicians deserve what may come their way as they put themselves forward. They and their spouse, choose to run as a team for public office. The children are often used as extensions, used for the photo opportunities, and softening an image, but the children didn’t ask to be pushed out front, and they should have some privacy. So that’s why I applaud the President and First Lady for largely sheltering their daughters from the media, and looking back at it now, it was the right thing for the Clintons to do with Chelsea.

I mean do we really think this arrest provides some type of psychological profile of Rudy Giuliani or Donna Hanover as parents or could this simply be a case of “children being children.” Young adult in this case.

What about the nasty public comments that appeared online at the bottom of newspaper articles. Do we ever think about the fact that it’s only natural for Caroline to read them and for this young lady, who to our knowledge has never done anything to hurt anyone, to conclude why are people saying so many awful things about me? I would also say this about a 20 year old African American or Latino in a similar position.

Again, my point is that the public has a right to know when it involves family members of elected officials, but the task is, how can we cover them like anyone else in a given particular situation, and not sensationalize it over and over for ratings and selling papers.

It would never work here in America, but perhaps Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and his wife Sonsoles Espinosa, are on to something when up until being photographed with the Obamas, they had never had photographs of their daughters previously published. Yes, that is taking it to an extreme.

Caroline will return to Harvard to continue her education. I’m sure she has realized she made a mistake. A mistake that should never be repeated.

I for one, wish her well with future endeavors.