Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks today. Credit: NYC Mayor’s Office
The NYPD does not need an inspector general, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday.
Requiring cops to be overseen by an inspector general would be “disastrous” for the public safety of New Yorkers, he said.
The bill is just the latest in a string of attacks against the NYPD, the mayor said, and “will put the lives of New Yorkers and our police officers at risk.”
He vowed to veto the legislation if passed.
The City Council is considering the bill, which would require independent oversight of the NYPD to review their procedures. Council Speaker Christine Quinn said Tuesday that the council had reached broad agreement on the proposal.
On Tuesday, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio urged that an inspector general should not only be appointed, but also should be given subpoena powers.
But Bloomberg said crime rates have vastly improved in the city and chastised politicians and officials who criticize cops.
“Over the past year, the greatest police department in the world has been subjected to constant attacks from elected officials and special-interest groups,” he said. “The latest example of that was the inspector general bill.”
The NYPD does not need extra oversight, Bloomberg said.
Right now, district attorneys and the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board and Commission to Combat Police Corruption oversee the department, he said.
An inspector general would do what the Internal Affairs Bureau already does, according to Bloomberg, as well as function like an additional police commissioner.
“I don’t think any rational person would say we need two competing police commissioners,” he said. “There would be questions in the ranks of police officers about who is really in charge.”
He added, “That kind of breakdown in the chain of command would be disastrous for public safety.”
