“The department is doing more with less,” he said. Despite its success, he hopes that within 18 months there will be a significant hiring of new police officers, he said.
He also noted that the department is more diverse today than ever, with recent recruits hailing from 58 countries.
The commissioner urged anyone who is interested in a career as a NYC police officer to call 212-RECRUIT (732-7848) or visit nyc.gov/nypd.
Addressing terrorism, Kelly said 1,000 police officers are devoted every day to anti-terrorism activities. As part of that effort, he said city detectives and supervisors have been assigned to work with police agencies in Madrid, London, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Tel Aviv and other cities throughout the world. He urged residents who see anything of a suspicious nature to call 311 and report it.
During the question-and-answer period that followed his speech, many residents asked Kelly to increase the number of police officers in the 102nd Precinct. Community Council President Maria Thomson asked the commissioner to bring back mounted police officers, which she said were a great asset to the community.
A Woodhaven resident asked for surveillance cameras to be placed along Woodhaven Boulevard between Jamaica and Myrtle Avenues, noting there has been an increase in vandalism to cars on that stretch of road. Kelly said he is a big supporter of surveillance video and noted that 540 cameras have been placed throughout the city. He said the city is attempting to get federal funding for additional equipment.
Another concerned resident asked Kelly to bring back more beat cops.
“I can’t recall the last time I saw a cop just walking around in the community,” she said.
Kelly said beat cops are not the most efficient way of patrolling an area and utilizing them is the most expensive way to police a community. If the department hires more police officers, however, he said he would look into her suggestion.
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