Mayor Bill de Blasio is the man to blame for the rise in violent crime in New York City, according to the longest-serving police commissioner in the city.
Ray Kelly told Fox News host Sean Hannity that policing policies implemented by the Democratic mayor could set the city back decades to a time when New York City was known for violence and crime.
“New York is the safest big city in America for several decades. A lot of hard work done by a lot of people. I lay the problems of New York City solely at the feet of Bill de Blasio,” the former police commissioner said. “He has eviscerated the Police Department, just as you said.”
“One of the most important and significant things he did was to eliminate the anti-crime units throughout the city. They are the real crime fighters. They are the ones who have been able to address the violent crime for several decades in New York City. That unit is gone. Police are demoralized. Retirements are at record levels, and the future is, quite frankly, very bleak in New York, certainly for the next 18 months under the de Blasio administration,” he added.
Kelly said that all indications in the city point to crime climbing to rates the city hasn’t seen since the 1970s. He questioned whether businesses will choose to return to New York City after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
“I’ve been around a long time. I certainly was around in the ’70s and the ’80s, and a lot of indicators now that we’re going to go back in that direction. … The future is not good. Now, we saw in the pandemic, which hit New York harder than any place else, how businesses were able to operate remotely, the Zoom economy, you might say. So, you put on top of that this increased crime explosion, and the question is: Is New York going to be anything like it was prior to the pandemic?” he asked.
“There’s some serious questions as to whether or not businesses will remain or businesses will ever come to New York. It’s a real concern,” Kelly added.
De Blasio announced plans to cut the budget for the New York Police Department by more than $1 billion in June amid a nationwide reckoning on race and police use of force. Protests have taken place over the past two months across the country following the death in police custody of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The mayor has been criticized for the decision because he made the announcement just as violent crime began to rise in the city. New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican, called for de Blasio to be removed from office over his handling of the police.
