The Commissioner

With the last days of his tenure as New York Police Commissioner winding down, we have much to thank Ray Kelly for. And not only those of us who live the New York/New Jersey metro area. He and his team have thwarted countless terrorism plots that would have had widespread consequences for the entire nation.

  After the horrific attack on 9/11, Ray Kelly began his second stint as New York City Police Commissioner and  created the first anti-terrorism bureau of any municipal police force in the country, even going as far as stationing his officers in foreign countries to mine leads and gather data on possible nascent plots.

 Some of us may have taken  our security for granted since we have not been attacked in  New York going on 13 years. But New York remains  the number one target of all jihadists. Because of the commissioner’s vigilance  our enemies have focused their efforts elsewhere as evidenced by the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this year. It’s hard not to point fingers at the Boston PD but I suspect things could have gone differently had Commissioner Kelly been in charge there.

Ray Kelly has always been a public servant. He was a  Vietnam combat veteran;   he has served 43 years in the NYPD; and in 1994, Ray Kelly headed up the Multi National Force (MNF)  to help restore order and democracy in  Haiti.

Under Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly, crime in New York has consistently decreased while having to deal with a dwindling  police force. But these successes have come at a cost, in at least, public perception. The so-called “stop and frisk” policy which targets minority men has been roundly criticized. And its overall effectiveness has been questioned. In the recent NYC mayoral election several of the candidates expressed their unhappiness with the policy and their intent, if elected, to replace Commissioner Kelly. And Mr. Kelly’s comments during that campaign that not one of the candidates had asked for a  terrorist  briefing didn’t win him any friends. Mayor-Elect de Blasio has already appointed Bill Bratton to succeed Kelly.

There was some talk that Mr. Kelly might be a candidate for the vacant position of Homeland Security Secretary. Despite the senior Senator from New York  Chuck Schumer’s glowing endorsement of  Kelly, President Obama selected Jeh Johnson for the position. But it’s hard to believe anyone could be more effective than Kelly in that role.

Ray Kelly leaves a great city in great shape and I’m sure Commissioner Designate Bratton will continue to uphold his high standards.

Ray Kelly will now ride off into the sunset making lucrative speeches for 5^th Avenue Greater Talent Network. Our heartfelt thanks, Commissioner.