Mayor Bloomberg this morning slammed the federal judge who rapped the city on “stop and frisk” as a know-nothing on police matters who overstepped her boundaries.
Saying judges who try to run city agencies from the bench “don’t have the competency to do it,” Bloomberg tore into federal justice Shira Scheindlin for limiting police tactics that he insists have made the city safer.
“What does she know about policing? Absolutely zero,” Bloomberg said on his weekly radio appearance. “Your safety and the safety of your kids is now in the hands of some woman who does not have the expertise to do it.”
On Monday Scheindlin deemed the city’s implementation of stop and frisk “indirect racial profiling” that violates the constitution.
She also confirmed the argument of advocates and numerous elected officials that black and Hispanic New Yorkers were targeted with the policing tactic in disproportionate numbers.
Scheindlin criticized the city for turning a “blind eye” to the injustice and ordered a number of reforms of the NYPD, which are to be overseen by an independent federal monitor.
But Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have repeatedly denied any kind of bias – arguing that the numbers correspond with the description of suspects in crimes.
“It’s easy for somebody in a court to say ‘Oh [the cop] should have done this or should have done this,’” Bloomberg added this morning. “The public has got to step back and say ‘Wait a second, there’s something really wrong here. It’s not the job of the judges to run agencies.’”
A spokeswoman at Manhattan’s Federal court declined comment on Scheindlin’s behalf.
“We like to let our judicial decisions speak for themselves,” she said.
But in response to criticism of the judge’s ruling earlier this week, the New York County Lawyers’ Association put out a statement defending her.
“Critics have every right to disagree with Judge Scheindlin’s conclusions, and the City has the right to appeal her decision,” the group said. “But it is irresponsible for elected officials and commentators to turn to judge-bashing when they disagree with a court decision on a controversial issue.”
City officials are expected to file a notice that they’re appealing the decision later today.