Don’t let your thoughts on the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy be clouded by those pulling the race card on the issue. That’s the message Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent to the city on Tuesday, Apr. 30-and we’re with him on it all the way.
Bloomberg was correct in his assertion that “the NYPD is under attack” over its stop-and-frisk program, in which trained police officers can stop any individual of any background on the street if they suspect that person of being involved in a crime.
In the long run, the policy of New York City police officers stopping anyone who looks suspicious might cause those who would carry a gun to think twice before packing.
Do these naysayers of stop-and-frisk really believe that this city would be safer without this program? In 2011, there were about 700,000 stops, and it dropped to 533,000 last year. But the NYPD-which has about 6,000 fewer officers than it did in 2001- managed to drop the homicide rate to historically low rates and arrest hundreds of individuals for illegally possessing firearms.
Both of these accomplishments are due, in part, to proactive law enforcement policies such as stop-and-frisk.
Critics say that the stops treat innocent people like criminals and are tainted with racial profiling, noting that more than 80 percent of those approached are black or Hispanic; these groups make up 54 percent of the city’s population.
But all these critics seem able to do is think of new things that will thwart the functions of keeping this city safe. Their latest shot at the Police Department is the idea of appointing an inspector general, an idea that many mayoral candidates are supporting.
It’s a stupid idea coming from politicians pandering for votes from minority factions in the city. The proposal in the City Council- supported by a veto-proof majority of members-also endangers all New Yorkers by undermining the NYPD’s ability to do its job: protecting all the people of New York City-including those who oppose stop-and-frisk.
“I loathe that illegal guns threaten our communities every day, especially black and Latino communities, because politicians don’t have the courage to stand up for the measures that can save lives,” Bloomberg said. “In Washington, some elected officials don’t have the courage to stand up to the special interests on the right and pass common sense gun laws. And in New York City, some don’t have the courage to stand up to special interests on the left and support common sense policing tactics like stop and frisk. We don’t need extremists on the left or the right running our Police Department, whether it’s the NRA (National Rifle Association) or the NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union).”
The Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times has long been a supporter of the NYPD and its efforts to keep our communities safe. There may have been some things that Mayor Bloomberg pushed which this paper has not approved, but stop-and-frisk and other safety programs are not among them.
In their 12 years, Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly continued former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s law-andorder policies, which transformed this city from a crime haven to one of the safest large cities in the entire country. Stop-and-frisk isn’t perfect, but it’s proven effective.
The NYPD is not a political football to be kicked around by self-serving politicians and special interests. Our city’s safety is critical to its viability. Let the police do their job.
