Bratton Defends De Blasio After Slam By Ray Kelly
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police Commissioner Bill Bratton on Monday rushed to defend his boss, Mayor Bill de Blasio, from bombshell charges by former police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, Kelly charged that de Blasio's opposition to stop-and-frisk arrests has endangered the lives of New Yorkers.
When de Blasio ran for mayor, he called it a tale of two cities. Now, it is a tale of two police commissioners.
Kelly asserted in a new book that de Blasio has engaged in an "amazing surrender" by reducing the number of stop, question and frisks.
Kelly characterized de Blasio's opposition to the program as a position geared to help him win an election – and a move that endangered public safety.
In his book, "Vigilance: My Life Serving America and Protecting Its Empire City," Kelly charged that de Blasio sought to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg by running against the police. Kelly wrote that the mayor "shrugged and walked away from a routine and useful policing tool, snatching law enforcement defeat from the jaws of legal victory."
In response, Bratton offered nothing but praise for his boss -- contending that crime has continued to go down – even with the dramatic reduction in stop, question and frisk, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
"The belief that crime was associated exclusively with SQF – that's not correct. It's an element certainly like anything else that we do, but it was not the dominating factor," Bratton said.
But Bratton did not stop there. He slammed Kelly, saying, stop-and-frisk "was clearly creating a very significant rift, if you will, between people of color in the city and this police department. That's unfortunate."
A de Blasio spokesman also refuted Kelly.
"Crime continues to remain at record low levels in New York City, even as we've reduced the overuse of stop and frisk," the spokesman said in a statement. "The numbers don't lie. New York City continues to be one of the safest big cities in the world."
Bratton defended de Blasio as "the most supportive mayor I've ever had."
But Bratton did say he looks forward to buying Kelly's book, because he thinks it will contribute to an understanding of what has gone on in the city in the last $25 years.
But unless Kelly decides to send Bratton a copy, he will have to shell out $28 for the 352-page hardcover edition – or he can wait until it comes out in paperback.