NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton has denounced
The New York Times for its "crazy" suggestion that police commanders should be fired by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for not getting officers to properly perform their duties.
In an interview with PBS host Charlie Rose, Bratton was asked for his reaction to a Times editorial about the police work slowdown that followed apparent anti-police comments made by de Blasio after cops were cleared in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
"If the police department’s current commanders cannot get the cops to do their jobs, Mr. de Blasio should consider replacing them," Rose quoted the newspaper as saying on his show Tuesday night.
"That editorial is crazy," the police commissioner replied. "What do they want to do, go to war with the cops?"
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"What they’re advocating is basically, go to war with the cops. What’s that going to solve?"
While noting that police output on minor offenses has returned to normal, he said, "We have not had to use the approach that The New York Times would encourage.
"The last thing you need is trying to instigate a widening of the gap. I’m trying to work to close the gap. So that type of language is very inappropriate in this discussion.
"That type of language by The New York Times or the New York Post is not helpful, not helpful at all."
Bratton also criticized Patrick Lynch, the head of the Police Benevolent Association, for saying that de Blasio has "blood on his hands" following the shooting deaths of two police officers in their parked patrol car as protests raged over the Garner grand jury verdict.
"The rhetoric he uses is unfortunate, and inappropriate," Bratton said.
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