Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned against the appointment of an inspector general, saying the city would be less safe than it is now, according to the New York Post.
“I think if you want to bring crime back, let’s go politicize control of the Police Department,” Bloomberg told the paper.
“The last thing we need is some politician or judge getting involved with setting policy, because you won’t be safe anymore,” the mayor told the Post. “But today, you are.”
In June, about two dozen City Council members proposed a bill that would institute an NYPD inspector general who would independently oversee the police force. The inspector general would be a non-police officer appointed by the mayor and would have subpoena power.
On Tuesday, City Council plans to hold a hearing over the bill.
Councilman Brad Lander, D-Park Slope, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, explained to the paper that the IG position doesn’t “make policy and they don’t politicize departments.”
Lander outlined the necessity of an IG in March, saying in an op-ed for the Huffington Post that other major metropolitan police departments—including Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia— are overseen by independent bodies with subpoena power.
"We need a NYPD Inspector General in place so we can have confidence that both our safety and our liberties are being protected," he wrote at the time.
The bill was introduced by Lander and Councilman Jumaane Williams in June.
