Ray Kelly and Others Deserve a Security Detail
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District
718-991-3161
Ray Kelly and Others Deserve a Security Detail
You should know that Jamie Schram and Danika Fears wrote an article in
the November 10, 2014 edition of the New York Post titled "Ray Kelly
to lose his taxpayer-funded security detail." According to that article:
"While city Comptroller Scott Stringer tools around town with an
elite security detail of highly trained NYPD detectives in tow, the Police
Department’s former top cop is about to lose his own protective
posse. Ex-NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, 73 — who received death threats
while at the department’s helm — was recently told that his
taxpayer-funded security detail will be disbanded at the end of the year,
sources told The Post on Monday."
You should also know that last week, in a different article, the New York
Post reported about New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer's gross
abuse of his security detail team. They also reported about two other
New York City elected officials who drain our police resources to provide
security teams: Public Advocate Letitia James, and the New York City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
On the other hand my dear reader, you should also know that I have not
met one person who thinks it is acceptable for New York City to end the
security detail for former New York City Police Department Commissioner
Ray Kelly. The New York Post reports:
"As commissioner, the tough-on-terrorism Kelly faced death threats
that included a 9/11 conspiracy theorist calling 911 in 2009 and warning,
“Tell Commissioner Kelly he’s dead. Kelly also would have
been a potential kidnapping target, said Thomas Reppetto, former president
of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City and a onetime Chicago
police commander. “He knows an awful lot of secrets,” Reppetto
told The Post. “That’s why I imagine they gave him a detail
for a while.”
As far as big secrets go, I have to ask myself, what kind of big secrets
could Scott Stringer have that outweigh those of Ray Kelly? Scott Stinger
might have little secrets about how much taxpayer money he spent as the
City Comptroller to hire someone to renovate and redecorate his government
office - instead of allocating those resources to New Yorkers in need
such as the homeless or to senior citizens or to education or to health
care? Even those secrets would surely pale in comparison to Ray Kelly's.
You should know that New York City has a disgraceful history of dropping
security details for our top officials. Former New York City Mayor Ed
Koch - who distinguished himself as New York City’s Mayor for 12
years - did not have a security detail after he left office. That was
a disgrace! Does anyone believe that these quality of life decisions are
well thought out?
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure that you are equally astounded to learn
about this gross disparity in the management of New York City's security
detail, and I am calling upon my colleagues in government to right this
wrong - right away. The leaders of the State Legislature should start
thinking about introducing legislation that authorizes New York City to
provide security details to some officials whose life and whose family
may be in jeopardy after leaving their position.
While I may appreciate why the Public Advocate - who is next in line if
the sitting Mayor is unable to fulfill the duties of the office - should
be entitled to a police detail, I cannot understand how nor why Melissa
Mark-Viverito should have one. She only has one vote in the City Council,
and she was not elected to serve as Speaker by New York's voters.
Compared to Ray Kelly she doesn’t need a seven member police detail
and her police detail should be transferred to Kelly.
You should already know that besides all of that, Ms. Mark-Viverito is
the most unpatriotic member of the New York City Council and shows that
every time she refuses to place her hand over her heart when our National
Anthem is sung and the United States of America's flag - that people
fought and died for - is on display. If she despises America and Americans
and what we stand for, why should we pay to have her chauffeured around
to go to "official events and on personal errands, including shopping,
parties and even out-of-town weekend getaways?”
We should remove some of Scott Stringer’s and Melissa Mark-Viverito’s
special anti-terrorist police unit details and assign them to Ray Kelly
and others who carry more important National, State and City security
information in their brains.
This is Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.