WASHINGTON – Police Commissioner Ray Kelly today said there was “no question” that ending stop-and-frisk policing would result in more shootings and murder in the city.
“No question about it, violent crime will go up,” Kelly declared on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“We have record low numbers of murders in New York City, record low numbers of shootings, we’re doing something right to save lives,” he said.
Kelly insisted that New York’s next mayor fight to continue the stop-and-frisk policy that a federal judge last week struck down as unconstitutional.
The city is appealing the ruling that denounced the policing tactic as a form of “racial profiling” in poor black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
“We need some balance here,” Kelly said. “The stark reality is that violence is happening disproportionately in minority communities. And that unfortunately is in big cities throughout America.”
Kelly made the rounds of Sunday talk shows to defend stop and frisk, appearing also on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and ABC’s “This Week.”
“What we’re doing – and what we’re trying to do — is save lives,” Kelly said on ABC.
His vigorous defense of the controversial policy on the national stage only bolstered speculation that Kelly is angling to take the job of running the Department of Homeland Security.
The city’s top cop is the only candidate for the job that President Obama has personally acknowledged and he’s being pushed for the post by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Kelly refused to comment when asked about his potential bid for Homeland Security secretary.
“This is not a program. This is something that’s integral to policing,” Kelly said on NBC. “This happens throughout America at any police jurisdiction. You have to do it. Officers have to have the right of inquiry, if they see some suspicious behavior. So I can assure you, this is not just a New York City issue. It’s an issue throughout America. And this case has to be appealed in my judgment because it will be taken as a template and have significant impact in policing throughout America.”
