Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik told Newsmax on Friday that officers in the city have been stifled by recent policies and are "scared to death" to use force.
In response to reports that two NYPD officers were assaulted near Times Square, Kerik told "Newsline," "This is the fault of the mayor and the fault of the governor. The bail reform laws that [former New York Gov.] Andrew Cuomo put in place back in 2018, '19 — they should have been repealed. They should have been squashed."
Kerik went on to say that he agreed with former Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff David Clarke when he said that police officers are handcuffed by department policies and a lack of support.
"The majority of the City Council today in New York City is completely anti-cop," Kerik said.
"Those cops could have increased their use of force substantially, given the circumstances. They're scared to death to do so ... because they have a city council completely against them."
He continued, "You have a mayor that doesn't defend them and support them, and you have a governor that doesn't put into place the laws they need, and you have a prosecutor that doesn't prosecute and hold these guys when they should be held. How do you give someone bail and let them go into the wind when you don't even know who they are?"
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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