Bernie Kerik on Baltimore: 'Where's the Leadership?'

Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik says a lack of leadership is contributing to the rioting and attacks on police in Baltimore.

"Where's the governor? Where is the mayor? Where's the leadership?" Kerik said Monday on Newsmax TV's "The Wrap." Because right now we're not hearing from the leadership."

Kerik is the author of the new best-selling memoir, "From Jailer to Jailed: My Journey From Correction and Police Commissioner to Inmate #85888-054," which he hopes will begin a campaign for criminal justice reform.

The last he heard from leadership, he said, was when Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Saturday, "It's a very delicate balancing act, because while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well."

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Rawlings-Blake said in a press conference Monday night that there was a "very blatant mischaracterization" of her words.

"What I said is in doing so, people can hijack that and use that space for bad. I did not say that were accepting of it. I did not say that we were passive to it," she said. "I was just explaining how property damage can happen during a peaceful protest."

Kerik said the young people throwing rocks, bricks, and bottles at police on Monday were not peaceful protesters.

"So you have to respond to violence. It doesn't look like they have the resources to respond," he said, noting the low number of police officers who initially responded.

"The resources that I've seen so far are completely inadequate," Kerik said. "I just heard an announcement they called for 42 state troopers to respond. Forty-two? They need about 200-250."

They don't have the resources in the street that they should have. I feel sorry for the cops. You've got seven injured, one supposedly that's unresponsive, and those injuries are going to continue to rise if they continue to operate in the way they are."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard later Monday. The mayor announced a curfew of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Tuesday.

Kerik is the author of the new best-seller, "From Jailer to Jailed: My Journey From Correction and Police Commissioner to Inmate #85888-054."

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