New York Magazine has a very good article by Chris Smith on Ray Kelley and the current state of the NYPD: Whenever Kelly leaves One Police Plaza — most likely in January 2014, when a newly elected mayor replaces Michael Bloomberg — he will be rightly celebrated as the greatest police commissioner in the city’s history. Crime, overall, is down…
Tag: NYPD
Officer who shot first at Sean Bell is fired
The departmental wheels of justice turn very slowly, but they do indeed turn. It’s been six years since Sean Bell was killed. Leaving aside the merits of the case against the officers (If I remember correctly, I think my position was that the officers indeed were not criminally guilty, except maybethe officer who fired first), note that Ray Kelly didn’t…
The Ray Kelly Smackdown Hour
Except this time it was Ray Kelly who was doing the smacking down. He gave it back good to the New York City Council on the subject of stop and frisks and violence among minority youths. From the New York Times: “What I haven’t heard is any solution to the violence problems in these communities — people are upset about…
You Can’t Blame the Police
I wrote in the New York Times: Much — though by no means all — of the disproportionate rate of blacks stopped, frisked, arrested, convicted and imprisoned is a simple reflection of violence in poor African-American communities. Like robbing banks because that’s where the money is, the obvious reason police focus so much of their attention on the young male…
No New News
I’m about to read the Village Voice’s one-sided new “scoop” about Adrian Schoolcraft. I’m going to predict it says 1) there was pressure to reduce crime stats, 2) the NYPD makes a surprisingly good faith effort to get to the bottom of the issue, and 3) keep in mind (this won’t in the article) everything Schoolcraft has done has been…
Prohibition Corrupts Cops
Funny how a few illegal searches for drugs might cost your job and next thing you know, you, the “good guy,” is in prison. Why did you do it, Sarge? Was it worth it? Did you really think you going to win the drug war? From the Times: Mr. Eiseman, who lost his job as a result of his guilty…
NYPD’s Muslim surveillance
I haven’t said anything about the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslims because, well, I have nothing to say. If it’s legal and good, I’m for it. If it’s illegal and bad, I’m against it. If it’s illegal and good, well then it better be damn good! But I have no clue. So I’ve kept my mouth shut. But what if it’s…
Criminal Officers plead guilty
From the New York Times: Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Trischitta helped transport three M-16 rifles, one shotgun and 16 handguns from New Jersey to New York. Many had been defaced to remove or alter the serial number. In another scheme, the officers — along with Mr. Mahoney, Mr. Melnik and others — helped transport what they believed to be stolen…
In Praise of the Beat Cop
In the current issue of New York’s Transportation Alternative’s Reclaimmagazine. [And dig the picture of me, from 12 years ago:] [photo by Amy Eckert]
Another Day at the Office (II)
From Sarah Armaghan in the Daily News: Sgt. Craig Bier and Officer Donnell Myers [were] in an unmarked car … when the gunfire started. Myers, who was in the driver’s seat, whipped his head around to see Chinloy squeezing off shots from a .40-caliber Glock handgun at some people in front of a store, police said. “When Officer Myers looks…