Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik says politicians, civil rights leaders and the media need to stop crucifying police by presenting a few controversial encounters as part of some nationwide crisis, and he said competent police work has saved countless black lives in New York City and beyond.
Kerik served as commissioner of the New York Police Department from 2000-2001 and led the department through the events of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the city. For 12 years prior to his appointment as commissioner, Kerik led the city's Department of Correction. He later served time in federal prison for tax fraud and making false statements. Kerik is the author of the new book, "From Jailer to Jailed: My Journey from Correction and Police Commissioner to Inmate #84888-054."
In recent months, Kerik has been very critical of political leaders such as President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for what he sees as divisive rhetoric on race and the police. When two NYPD officers were murdered in December, Kerik suggested de Blasio had blood on his hands as a result of recent comments by the mayor.
From the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri, to the Eric Garner controversy on Staten Island and beyond, Kerik believes prominent political and civil rights figures have only fanned the flames of division.
"We broad brush the cops as racist, as criminals," he said. "We crucify them in the court of public opinion, and I just think it's wrong."
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Kerik said the first thing people should realize is the immense volume of police work that occurs on a day-to-day basis.
"Local, state and federal law enforcement in this country probably effect more than two million arrests per year," he said. "Two million. In New York City alone, there's more than 100,000 arrests per year."
The biggest problem, he said, is that too many people fail to look at each case on its own merits and instead start looking for some sort of narrative.
"We then take two, three, four incidents and we turn those into a broad brush of negativity toward the law enforcement community all over this country, and it should not be," Kerik said.
"Every one of these events should be looked at individually. First and foremost, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That goes on both sides of the coin, whether it's the suspect or it's a cop that's involved in an incident."
Listen to the WND/Radio America interview with former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik:
Kerik also takes aim at politicians and civil rights figures, not only for failing to diffuse tense situations but for blatantly misleading the public about what is happening in the protests.
"I think it is the political leadership that incites these protests," he said. "People have talked about these protests. These are peaceful protests. Well, that's not necessarily the case. Some of them are. Most of them have not been."
He said protests in the wake of two high-profile cases are perfect examples.
"In Ferguson alone, they burned down half the community, for God's sake," Kerik said. "That's not a peaceful protest. Peaceful protests in New York City are not calling for cops to be killed."
Kerik stresses that people have the right to assemble and speak their minds, but elected and self-anointed leaders have a responsibility to maintain calm.
"People have a right to express their opinion, but when you have civil rights leaders and you have public officials that are supposed to be there to keep the peace, it's just wrong for them to get out and incite these people," he said. "They're really creating more havoc and more harm to communities than necessary."
This week, Rep. Hank Johnson, R-Ga., took to the House floor to sound the alarm for what he sees as a pattern of police abuse and even murder toward black suspects.
"It feels like open season on black men in America, and I am outraged. In fact, all Americans are at risk when bad actors in law enforcement use their guns instead of their heads," said Johnson, who also submitted a list of 22 Americans who died in police encounters.
So is there a systemic problem of racial bias that is putting black lives in danger at the hands of police?
"I don't think so," Kerik said.
In fact, he said competent police work radically reduced violence and murder in New York City.
"Look at what the law-enforcement community has done for the minority communities in New York City," Kerik said. "Back in 1990, there were more than 2,400 murders in New York City, most of them came from the minority communities. In the last 20-25 years, the NYPD has reduced overall violence by more than 75 percent and homicides by close to 80."
He said the bottom line is that the lives of black New Yorkers are far better as a result of the NYPD.
"The predominant [beneficiaries] of those reductions in violence and murders have been the black communities," he said. "I think that's completely ignored in this racial incitement, this racial argument that's out there."