Latest news with #Policing
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Mamdani confronts his past calls to defund police after an officer's death in New York
Crime Gun violence PolicingFacebookTweetLink Follow Zohran Mamdani spent the last hours of his wedding celebration in Uganda huddled remotely with his team after learning of New York's deadliest mass shooting of the last 25 years. He returned this week to the biggest political test he's faced since pulling off a stunning victory in the June 24 Democratic primary: Honoring the deaths of Officer Didarul Islam and three others while addressing his past calls to defund the police department he hopes to oversee as mayor if he wins the November election. 'I am not defunding the police. I am not running to defund the police,' Mamdani told reporters Wednesday after meeting with Islam's family. He described himself as a 'candidate who is not fixed in time, one that learns and one that leads, and part of that means admitting as I have grown.' Mamdani and other mayoral candidates are expected to attend Islam's funeral on Thursday, three days after Islam was shot and killed this week when a man carrying an assault rifle walked into the lobby of a Manhattan office high-rise and opened fire. The gunman eventually turned the gun on himself. Mamdani says he does not plan on defunding the New York Police Department or decreasing its headcount if elected in November. Instead, he has proposed creating a 'Department of Community Safety' that would respond to some emergencies, including incidents involving people experiencing mental health crises. Mamdani has also said he wants to reduce the NYPD's overtime budget and ensure that officers are focused on the most serious crimes. But he has a long string of past comments criticizing law enforcement and saying the NYPD should be defunded. In one June 2020 post on X, Mamdani wrote: 'We don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD.' Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both running as independents in the November election, have suggested Monday's shooting proved a need to focus on public safety and increase police. Adams and Cuomo have suggested Mamdani would put public safety at risk because of his previous calls to change how the NYPD operates. As Mamdani was making his way back to the city Tuesday, Cuomo and Adams pounced on the opportunity to highlight their rival's statements. 'Literally he has said he was part of this 'defund the police' movement,' Cuomo said Tuesday during an interview with CNN's Kasie Hunt. 'It really is a reality check for all this political theory and political hype that we have going on in this country with the extreme left postulating these theories that have no connection to reality.' Mamdani's initial response to the shooting came shortly after it began with a post on social media, which was quickly seized on by opponents and critics pointing to his previous criticism of the NYPD, his calls to defund the police in the aftermath of George Floyd's death and his promise to disband an elite unit within the NYPD known as the Strategic Response Group. Asked about the comments Wednesday, Mamdani distanced himself from previous statements where he was critical of police, saying he was expressing a frustration shared with many New Yorkers in the aftermath of Floyd's death, adding he believes New Yorkers should not have to choose between safety and justice. 'Despite what others may say, my vision is not to defund the police. It is in fact to allow those officers to respond to the serious crimes that many of them signed up to address,' Mamdani said. Mamdani was also critical of Cuomo, accusing him politicizing the tragedy to speak about his prior social media posts rather than focusing on the victims. 'Andrew Cuomo is far more comfortable living his life in the past and attacking tweets of 2020 than running against the campaign that we have been leading for the last eight months,' Mamdani said. Mamdani is expected to attend Islam's funeral on Thursday after being asked to attend by the family. 'I had called them in advance to ask if that was something that I could do. They had welcomed me into their home,' Mamdani said. 'They refused to let me leave until I had breakfast with them. They are an embodiment of so much of what makes this city the one that we love.' Police funerals in recent years have attracted political commentary and dissent. In 2022, the widow of NYPD officer Jason Rivera, who was killed along with his partner in the line of duty, excoriated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg during her eulogy, accusing him of being soft on crime. And a decade ago, thousands of police officers at the funerals for officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos turned their backs towards then Mayor Bill de Blasio who was elected on a promise to reform the NYPD. The moment marked a turning point in his mayoralty. Mamdani, running to be the city's first Muslim mayor, has connections to the city's Bangladeshi population and received overwhelming support from the city's South Asian communities.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
ieExplains: Who is new Garda commissioner Justin Kelly?
From September, a new man will be in charge of An Garda Síochána. Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan announced on Tuesday that Justin Kelly will be replacing Drew Harris as Garda commissioner. Here, we look at who Mr Kelly is, and what his career path has been to date. Where is Justin Kelly from? Mr Kelly is a native of Dublin. How long has Justin Kelly been a garda? Mr Kelly first joined the gardaí in 1992. From then up until 2017, he held a number of ranks including garda, sergeant, and inspector. He served as a frontline inspector in Blanchardstown and Clondalkin. In 2001, he was seconded to work for the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he worked monitoring and building the capacity of local law enforcement. In 2017, he was appointed as a detective superintendent in the Garda National Protective Services Bureau. His work there led to an appointment as detective chief superintendent in the Special Detective Unit in 2020. There, he was tasked with leading the Operational Counter-Terrorism Unit. When was Justin Kelly appointed as assistant commissioner? From May 2022 to October 2024, Mr Kelly served as the assistant commissioner in charge of Serious and Organised Crime. In his role, he was responsible for the national units and investigations into drugs and organised crime, cybercrime, economic crime, immigration and crimes against vulnerable persons. Mr Kelly was appointed deputy commissioner for Security, Strategy and Governance in October 2024. What about his education and qualifications? Mr Kelly has a bachelor's in civil law from UCD, a master of criminal justice from John Jay College in New York, a master of business administration from DCU, a master of serious crime investigation from the University of Limerick and has completed a strategic command course at the College of Policing, UK. What will his new salary be? The salary for the Garda commissioner role is currently €314,512. The Department of Justice says this reflects "the size and unique complexity of leading An Garda Síochána, which is a very large policing service with over 18,000 employees, and includes lead responsibility for the security of the State". When will he start as Garda commissioner? Mr Kelly will take up the new role on September 1, with Mr Harris remaining as commissioner until that date. He is eligible to serve a five-year term, or until reaching the retirement age of 62. There is provision in the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024, for an extension of up to two further years, subject to Government approval. Read More Justin Kelly to succeed Drew Harris as new Garda Commissioner
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Shooting at Reno casino leaves multiple people injured, police say
Crime Gun violence PolicingFacebookTweetLink Follow A gunman opened fire early Monday morning at a resort and casino in Reno, leaving two people dead and at least three people injured as guests were startled by a spray of gunfire that could be heard from their rooms inside, according to law enforcement and health officials. The suspect, who is now in police custody, was seen pacing the parking lot for about 45 minutes before the shooting, a law enforcement official briefed on the incident told CNN. The gunman initially opened fire, but their gun jammed, the official said. Once he cleared the jam, he resumed shooting. Two people were found dead when law enforcement arrived, and three injured people were taken to the hospital, according to Northern Nevada District Health Officer Dr. Chad Kingsley. Renown Regional, a local health system, said its emergency department received several patients with gunshot wounds early Monday morning. The gunman was also injured and transported to the hospital, Kingsley said. The gunman's motive is still unknown, and investigators are speaking to the suspect, the law enforcement official said. The victims do not appear to be connected. The shooting was reported around 7:30 a.m. Monday outside the casino in the valet area, Reno police spokesperson Chris Johnson told The Associated Press. Inside, resort guest Michael Sisco was about to head outside when he heard 'unmistakable gun shots' in 'rapid succession,' he told CNN. 'I looked out the window and saw people running,' Sisco said. He saw one person, who appeared to be shot, stumble and crawl to a nearby car and then laid down on the ground. After the incident, Sisco heard an announcement over the resort intercom which warned of 'an active law enforcement incident outside.' It informed guests, 'You are safe inside.' Guests later received a text from the resort that said, 'We currently have a law enforcement situation on property which has been contained. We apologize for any inconvenience as we continue to resolve the situation.' Photos taken by Sisco show emergency vehicles, including an ambulance, fire truck and police cars, outside the casino following the incident. The resort entrance was still closed off at 10 a.m. local time, Sisco said, though guests were allowed to leave from a different exit. The entire valet parking area was roped off. Reno council member Devon Reese called the incident 'yet another act of senseless gun violence.' 'My heart breaks for the victims, their families, and our entire community. Reno is strong — but we are not immune to the epidemic of gun violence gripping this nation,' Reese said in a social media post. This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Independent
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Met chief calls racial disparities in London's justice system ‘shameful'
Racial disparities in the criminal justice system are 'shameful' for London, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said. Sir Mark Rowley told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that racial disparity among suspects and victims of crime in the capital remained a 'difficult' issue for the force. The Met Police Commissioner said there was a history between policing and black communities 'where policing has got a lot wrong, and we get a lot more right today'. 'But we do still make mistakes. That's not in doubt,' Sir Mark added. 'I'm being as relentless in that as it can be.' He continued: 'The vast majority of our people are good people. 'But that legacy, combined with the tragedy that some of this crime falls most heavily in black communities, that creates a real problem because the legacy creates concern.' 'It's not right that black boys growing up in London are more likely to be dead by the time they're 18, far more likely than white boys,' the commissioner said. 'That's, I think, shameful for the city. 'The challenge for us is, as we reach in to tackle those issues, that confrontation that comes from that reaching in, whether it's stop and search on the streets or the sort of operations you seek. 'The danger is that's landing in an environment with less trust. 'And that makes it even harder. But the people who win out of that, all of the criminals.' He added: 'I'm so determined to find a way to get past this because if policing in black communities can find a way to confront these issues, together we can give black boys growing up in London equal life chances to white boys, which is not what we're seeing at the moment.' 'And it's not simply about policing, is it?' he added. 'I think black boys are several times more likely to be excluded from school, for example, than white boys. 'And there are multiple issues layered on top of each other that feed into disproportionality.' The police chief said the Met is a 'stretched service', but that people who call 999 can expect an officer to attend. 'If you are in the middle of the crisis and something awful is happening and you dial 999, officers will get there really quickly,' Sir Mark said. 'I don't pretend we're not a stretched service. 'We are smaller than I think we ought to be, but I don't want to give a sort of message of a lack of hope or a lack of determination.' 'I've seen the mayor and the Home Secretary fighting hard for police resourcing,' he added. 'It's not what I'd want it to be, but it's better than it might be without their efforts.' Sir Mark went on to say that the criminal justice system was 'close-to-broken' and can be 'frustrating' for officers. He said: 'The thing that is frustrating is that the system – and no system can be perfect – but when the system hasn't managed to turn that person's life around and get them on the straight and narrow, and it just becomes a revolving door. 'When that happens, of course that's frustrating for officers. 'So the more successful prisons and probation can be in terms of getting people onto a law-abiding life from the path they're on, the better. 'But that is a real challenge. I mean, we're talking just after Sir Brian Leveson put his report out about the close-to-broken criminal justice system. 'And it's absolutely vital that those repairs and reforms that he's talking about happen really quickly, because the system is now so stressed.' Sir Mark gave the example of Snaresbrook Crown Court in London, which he said had more than 100 cases listed for 2029. 'If it's someone on bail, then who might have stolen your phone or whatever and going in for a criminal court trial, that could be four years away. 'And that's pretty unacceptable, isn't it?' he added.
The Independent
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Racial disparities in criminal justice system ‘shameful'
Racial disparities in the criminal justice system are 'shameful' for London, the head of the Metropolitan Police said. Sir Mark Rowley spoke on Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips where he said racial disparity among suspects and victims of crime in the capital was a 'difficult' issue for the force. The Met Police Commissioner said there was a history between policing and black communities 'where policing has got a lot wrong, and we get a lot more right today'. 'But we do still make mistakes. That's not in doubt,' Sir Mark added. 'I'm being as relentless in that as it can be.' He continued: 'The vast majority of our people are good people. 'But that legacy, combined with the tragedy that some of this crime falls most heavily in black communities, that creates a real problem because the legacy creates concern.' 'It's not right that black boys growing up in London are more likely to be dead by the time they're 18, far more likely than white boys,' the commissioner said. 'That's, I think, shameful for the city. 'The challenge for us is, as we reach in to tackle those issues, that confrontation that comes from that reaching in, whether it's stop and search on the streets or the sort of operations you seek. 'The danger is that's landing in an environment with less trust. 'And that makes it even harder. But the people who win out of that, all of the criminals.' He added: 'I'm so determined to find a way to get past this because if policing in black communities can find a way to confront these issues, together we can give black boys growing up in London equal life chances to white boys, which is not what we're seeing at the moment.' 'And it's not simply about policing, is it?' he added. 'I think black boys are several times more likely to be excluded from school, for example, than white boys. 'And there are multiple issues layered on top of each other that feed into disproportionality.' The police chief said the Met is a 'stretched service', but that people who call 999 can expect an officer to attend. 'If you are in the middle of the crisis and something awful is happening and you dial 999, officers will get there really quickly,' Sir Mark said. 'I don't pretend we're not a stretched service. 'We are smaller than I think we ought to be, but I don't want to give a sort of message of a lack of hope or a lack of determination.' 'I've seen the mayor and the Home Secretary fighting hard for police resourcing,' he added. 'It's not what I'd want it to be, but it's better than it might be without their efforts.' Sir Mark went on to say that the criminal justice system was 'close-to-broken' and can be 'frustrating' for officers. He said: 'The thing that is frustrating is that the system – and no system can be perfect – but when the system hasn't managed to turn that person's life around and get them on the straight and narrow, and it just becomes a revolving door. 'When that happens, of course that's frustrating for officers. 'So the more successful prisons and probation can be in terms of getting people onto a law-abiding life from the path they're on, the better. 'But that is a real challenge. I mean, we're talking just after Sir Brian Leveson put his report out about the close-to-broken criminal justice system. 'And it's absolutely vital that those repairs and reforms that he's talking about happen really quickly, because the system is now so stressed.' Sir Mark gave the example of Snaresbrook Crown Court in London, which he said had more than 100 cases listed for 2029. 'If it's someone on bail, then who might have stolen your phone or whatever and going in for a criminal court trial, that could be four years away. 'And that's pretty unacceptable, isn't it?' he added.
