Where is Ray Kelly going, and who is he meeting with?
The NYPD knows – but it steadfastly refuses to say.
The Police Department issued a blanket denial to a Post Freedom of Information request for data about the top cop’s comings and goings – even though the same info is available for President Bush, Mayor Bloomberg and even an FBI director.
The department said no twice – denying both the initial request for the police commissioner’s public and private schedules and an appeal.
The NYPD gave two reasons for withholding the information – releasing it could endanger lives or interfere with ongoing investigations.
But the data could also reveal things that the public might need to know.
There never has been any suggestion of hanky-panky by Kelly. The former Marine is fastidious about ethical issues and comes down hard on subordinates who cross the line.
But he has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate, and releasing his schedules might reveal potential supporters with whom he has been meeting.
The decision to conceal Kelly’s comings and goings from public scrutiny was roundly criticized by Robert Freeman, the executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, which oversees Freedom of Information laws and citizens’ rights to attend administration meetings.
“Completely bogus,” Freeman insisted.
“We have judicial precedent that the kind of records requested here are largely public. Think of this logically. These are events where the police commissioner is seen publicly, and certainly once an event has occurred, how could they deny access to the public information?”
Neither the mayor’s office nor the NYPD would comment for this story, though a police spokesman pointed out that Freedom of Information requests are handled separately by the department’s legal bureau.