New York City crime is running rampant and instead of putting it out, leaders like Mayor Bill de Blasio are feeding into it with liberal policies and defunding, according to former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.
"Crime is raging out of control here in New York City," Kelly told Sunday's "The Cats Roundtable" on WABC 770 AM-N.Y., per The Hill. "I don't see anything that's going to change the trajectory of that continuing to rise. There are disorderly groups all over the city challenging police officers.
"Police are generally backing off," he added, "because their political leaders, the mayors . . . are telling cops to back off."
The ending of "stop and frisk" and proposed cut of the police budget by $1 billion have "sapped the strength of the department" and is "kabuki financing," according to Kelly.
"This mayor is atrocious," Kelly said. "If I had a magic wand I'd remove him. But, unfortunately, what's waiting in the wings is no better.
"We have de Blasio here for another 18 months, and that's very, very discouraging."
What is equally frustrating to Kelly is the Democratic Party maintains a firm grip on New York City politics and has moved even further to the left.
"It's such a change from years ago," Kelly said. "You just don't hear anything from [Democrats]. They’re sitting on their hands. Or they're being very supportive [of] taking down the statues.
"That's what they're interested in. That's what they're supporting. Rather than, 'Hey, let's get some good old basic law and order.' What about everyday citizens?"
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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