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Kelly Warns NYPD Inspector General Would Make City 'Less Safe'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has made his first comments against a proposal to create and inspector general to oversee the police department.

City Council Speaker and Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn announced last week that city lawmakers had reached a deal to install an inspector general to monitor the department. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has promised a veto of the plan, but Quinn said she has enough support for the plan that she could overturn a veto.

Kelly said the idea of creating a position to investigate the NYPD's policing policies is unnecessary.

"I think there's real cause for concern. I think putting in another layer of so-called supervision or monitoring can ultimately make this city less safe," Kelly told reporters including WCBS 880's Marla Diamond. "We have five district attorneys, as we've heard. We have two U.S. attorneys, we have the Committee to Combat Police Corruption, we have the Civilian Complaint Review Board. [There's] more oversight of this department than any other department in America and I think it's more than sufficient."

Kelly Warns NYPD Inspector General Would Make City 'Less Safe'

Several mayoral candidates support the creation of an NYPD inspector general. But Bloomberg and the head of the Department of Investigation, who would have to create the position, have expressed concerns, Diamond reported.

Quinn has repeatedly said she'd like to keep Kelly on as commissioner if she's elected mayor. Kelly hasn't ruled out working for any of the candidates, saying he has no plans for the future.

Do you support the idea of an inspector general for the NYPD? Sound off in the comments section below...

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