Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly: No Plans to Run for Office

During an interview on the FOX Business Network’s Mornings with Maria, former NYC police commissioner Ray Kelly revealed his plans for a mayoral run.

“I’m a major supporter of Dick Grasso. He has been just a terrific, forceful good in this city and I’m all behind Dick Grasso… I’m very happy doing what I’m doing right now, and right now I have no intention of running for political office,” he said.

Kelly characterized the state of U.S. crime and discussed how recent events have caused cops to become more reluctant than they have been in the past.

“It’s an uncertain time in the country, certainly an uncertain time for police. We’ve seen attacks on police. We’ve seen verbal attacks in the media on the police… so it’s tough to be a police officer these days,” he said.

He discussed how former tennis star James Blake wants the NYPD to fire the officer who accidentally attacked him by mistake.

“There’s no other way to say it, but I think it was a mistake. This is the type of arrest where you go up and introduce yourself to the person. Say “I [want to] talk to you.”  There’s no indication as far as I know of crimes of violence or in the past, with this individual, or carrying a weapon.  And we understand it’s a mistake in identity… so in New York they make 400,000 arrests a year, they’re all not going to go well. Mistakes are made, cops are human,” he said.

He also explained why it’s important for the U.S. to take in Syrian refugees.

“I believe in American exceptionalism. There’s no other country in the world even close to us. This is the type of thing as a super power that we should be doing. Does it present a vetting challenge? Absolutely. So it just complicates the process, but I still think it should be done. That’s what America is all about.”