Bernard Kerik says de Blasio has lost respect from NYPD

This is a rush transcript from “Hannity,” December 23, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

ANDREA TANTAROS, GUEST HOST: Joining us now with more reaction is former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik. Commissioner Kerik, thanks for joining me this evening. Just want to ask you flat out — I live in New York City. I see what’s happening on the streets. I see the tension between the mayor and the cops. I’ve heard you say before you haven’t seen it this bad in decades. Has Bill de Blasio lost control of New York City?

BERNARD KERIK, FMR. NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I think he’s lost — he’s lost the respect of the men and women that serve the city. I think he’s lost respect of the men and women that protect the communities that he says they go out and target. You know, I can’t say he’s lost control, but it’s close to it. As I said — as I said over the past few days, I have never seen a rift like this between the mayor and the police department in my time in the city — 30, 35 years.

TANTAROS: How do the police do their jobs when they know they don’t have the back of the mayor? (sic) How do they police the city when there’s no relationship or such a strained relationship?

KERIK: You know what, Andrea? The good thing for the people of New York City is these cops are going to go out and do their job. They’re going to go out and they’re going to do a job that most people wouldn’t have the courage to do. You know, when somebody’s shooting a gun and there’s gunfire, these are the guys that’s running toward it when other people are running away from it. They’re going to go out and do that job.

But I have to tell you, in talking to the men and women of the NYPD, they are fearful that they’re not going to get the support they need from the mayor. They’re fearful that they’re not going to be indemnified by the city if there’s any question or doubt in anything they’ve done. They’re not going to get the benefit of the doubt at all by the mayor.

This is a man that stood up and talked about his son and the dangers he would face in an interaction with the members of the NYPD, the very people, mind you, that guard his son, you know? And I think people lose sight of that. The men and women of the NYPD’s intelligence division, they are the protective detail for the mayor, for his wife, for his son. It’s almost a hypocrisy. You know, if you think that they’re that bad, why would you have them protecting your son, your family?

TANTAROS: Why did Bill Bratton take the job, you think, to be the police commissioner of New York City? I mean, there’s obvious tension between him and Mayor de Blasio, and now it’s even worse. Why do you think he took the job, Bernie?

KERIK: Well, he took the job because he loves the city. He loves the job of policing. Look, you know, this isn’t a secret. I have an enormous amount of respect for Bill Bratton. He is what I consider the architect of crime reduction in the entire country. He started in New York City under Rudy Giuliani with Jack Maple (ph) back in 1994. The programs that we implemented in New York City went on to cities all across this nation that saw substantial drops in crime reduction. (sic)

And you know, that’s what he does. He loves the job. I just don’t think that he anticipated that he’d be working for a man that really doesn’t have the respect he should for the men and women that are out there in the field.

TANTAROS: Really, though? Because, Bernie, Mayor de Blasio ran on an anti-cop platform. I mean, he made no bones about the fact that he was going to come into office and he was going to push to get rid of “stop and frisk,” which disproportionately benefits minority communities and high- crime communities.

And you know, that’s the whole point here, is I know you say the cops — we know they’re brave. NYPD are the best in the nation, and they’re still going to show up and do their jobs. But I have to be honest, Bernie, if I’m a cop right now, I’m thinking, Why would I want to do this job? Because if they stop doing their jobs, Bernie — and you know this better than anyone — and they stop policing these high-crime neighborhoods, who does that hurt? It doesn’t hurt me in my neighborhood!

KERIK: Well, and this goes back to what I was saying yesterday. You know, people have criticized the police department, you know, the race baiters, and you know, they’re going into minority communities to harass and target minorities. Those minority communities in New York City have seen crime reductions of — violent crime reductions — 85 percent, 80 percent, homicide reductions 80 percent.

And to get back to Bill Bratton — you know what? When the mayor was talking pre-campaign, when he was talking about, you know, “stop and frisk,” I personally — I thought Bratton would come in and be able to explain to him how “stop and frisk” is a tool. “Stop and frisk” should be used. If it’s abused, yes, we should deal with it.

But it is a tool that has benefited those minority communities that have seen these substantial crime reductions.

TANTAROS: No question.

KERIK: And I thought he’d be able to push that on the mayor, to make him understand that, and he has not done it.

TANTAROS: No question. Commissioner Kerik, I really think the mayor has rolled back all of the good work that you have done, that Mayor Giuliani has done. It’s such a shame. And a lot of these cops are just enforcing de Blasio’s war on tobacco, which is really the irony of all of this. Commissioner Kerik, thanks so much.

KERIK: Thank you.

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