Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly on his career, ISIS, Trump, and a potential run for mayor
Former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly joined Yahoo News & Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga to discuss his new memoir “Vigilance: My Life Serving America and Protecting Its Empire City.” They discussed his career as the longest-serving NYPD commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, President Obama’s strategy to fight the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), Donald Trump’s run for president, and Kelly’s political future in New York City.
On the same day President Obama convened his National Security Council in a rare meeting at the Pentagon about his strategy against ISIS, Kelly told Golodryga, “I think [the president] is looking to change that narrative somewhat.” He continued, “I personally think that we shouldn’t have conventional troops on the ground in the Middle East, but we probably should increase the special forces capacity there, because I think we need some skin in the game.”
Regarding the debate surrounding people obtaining guns who are on the no-fly list, Kelly said, assuming the no-fly list is accurate, “I think people should be denied the right to have a gun if in fact they’re on the list.”
Weighing into the debate surrounding gun safety and the National Rifle Association’s position — “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” — which a number of Republican candidates for president have echoed, Kelly disagreed. He said, “I’m uncomfortable with that position. It takes a lot of training to have a facility with a gun.” He continued, “I don’t think it’s going to be a major help in stopping terrorist events.”
On the stop-and-frisk program, which Kelly oversaw as NYPD commissioner, Kelly blamed Mayor Bill De Blasio for the controversy surrounding it: “Mayor De Blasio ran on false narratives, saying that it caused a schism between the police and minority communities.”
He stood by the program: “I think it was a lifesaver. I think it was done according to the law. I think the decision was a wrong one in the case here.” Kelly pointed out that in “less than half the stops there’s a frisk” and that homicides dropped by 9,500 during his tenure as commissioner under Mayor Bloomberg.
On whether or not Mayor De Blasio has made the city less safe since discontinuing the stop-and-frisk program: “I think cops will always do their job. Do they like the mayor? No. Morale is always a difficult thing to measure, but certainly he’s not popular among police officers. He’s said a lot of things that were not necessary. When you’re the mayor for all the people.”
On President Obama’s job in handling racial tensions in the country, Kelly said: “I think the president was uniquely positioned to make a change, to address some of the issues that have been outstanding for a long time. I’m not certain that has happened.”
Turning to presidential politics, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has floated the idea of having Kelly in his presidential cabinet. Kelly told Golodryga: “I’m flattered, but I’m very happy where I am now.”
On Trump’s proposed policy to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, Kelly said: “We need the support of the Islamic community in the United States to provide us with information. Obviously the vast majority of those of Muslim faith are law abiding, and certainly the ones in the United States are good citizens. So to the extent that it could undermine law enforcement from getting information, I think that is problematic.”
Finally, on his own political future, Kelly would not rule out a run for mayor of New York.
