ALBANY – The longest-serving police chief of New York is sounding the alarm over a potential “exodus” of NYPD officers if Zohran Mamdani, the leading candidate for mayor, wins the election.
During an appearance on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable” on Sunday, Raymond Kelly, who has previously served as police commissioner under both Mayors Michael Bloomberg and David Dinkins, expressed concerns that Mamdani is attempting to move towards a more centrist position.
However, Kelly believes that the police community is unlikely to accept the changes from the far-left Assemblyman from Queens.
“He poses a challenge. He has expressed antisemitic sentiments and promotes many radical ideas,” Kelly commented during the show, labeling the NYPD as a “target” for Mamdani’s policies.
Kelly noted that there has already been a significant departure of officers since the beginning of Mayor Adams’ administration, a trend that continues. He believes that with a self-described socialist mayor, maintaining adequate police numbers will be a serious hurdle.
Mamdani has responded with a vague statement, ignoring calls to apologize for labeling NYPD officers as “racist” and dismissing them as a “threat to public safety” in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Kelly, who initially supported Mayor Adams’ appointment of Jessica Tisch as police commissioner, urged Mamdani to retain her position.
“She is doing excellent work, and I would like to see her continue as commissioner. However, it is unclear how her relationship would be with a socialist mayor, especially one who is Muslim,” Kelly remarked.
Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul stated that she is also advocating for Mamdani to keep Tisch in her role.
“I have strongly advised him to retain Jessica Tisch,” Hochul commented.
