Metro

Kelly learned about NYPD oversight eggheads from the Post

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday that he was stunned to learn from The Post that a panel of law professors with little “real-world experience” had been appointed by a federal judge to help reform the NYPD’s controversial “stop and frisk” program.”

“I know nothing about it. I read it in the newspaper today. Quite frankly I don’t know what their role is, I don’t know who they’re advising, I don’t know what their experience is,” Kelly said.

“We have plenty of lawyers on both sides. So, if the judge thinks we need (13) more lawyers, then we’ll see.”

“I think probably people with some more real-world experience, street experience, would also be helpful,” he added.

Kelly also said NYPD brass were keeping a close eye on crime stats — reported exclusively by The Post — that showed a spike in shootings and a drop in gun seizures since Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled “stop and frisk” unconstitutional last month.

“I dont think we have enough information to say that there is a trend,” Kelly said.

“But it’s obviously something that we do and have to watch closely. And we will.”

Asked if he thought beat cops were “not being as proactive as they should be” for fear of getting sued, Kelly said: “I hope that’s not the case, but obviously there is a generalized concern that these pieces of legislation, the City Council, the judge’s decision, may have somewhat of a chilling effect on officers engagement.”

“Proactivity has been, I think, the main reason why crime has gone down to record lows,” he said.

“We have to be concerned that the recent decisions and legislation will somehow impact on that willingness.”

In addition to Scheindlin’s ruling, the City Council overrode Mayor Bloomberg’s vetos and enacted two laws that create an inspector general to oversee the NYPD and also make it easier for people to sue over alleged racial profiling.

In response, the PBA issued a memo — which was posted in every precinct house — warning cops not to go beyond the call of duty so they don’t get sued.

When asked, mayoral front-runner Bill de Blasio refused to directly address the disturbing crime figures and Scheindlin’s plan for an “Academic Advisory Council” to assist court-appointed “stop and frisk” monitor Peter Zimroth,  and Nicholas Turner, who will serve as the “facilitator” for community forums on the program.

“Bill believes that racial profiling and discriminatory policing have created a divide between police and communities that hurts our ability to fight crime,” a spokesman for the Democratic public advocate said.

“We can make New York City safer by ending the overuse of ‘stop and frisk’ and restoring the trust between the NYPD and the communities they protect.”

City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Queens), who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said the recent statistics were “just the beginning of the crime increase that New York City will be facing.

“This is just one federal judge, but wait ’til all of the state court judges empowered by the ‘Criminal Safety Act’ take their swings,” Vallone said, using slang to refer to the Community Safety Act laws enacted by the council.

“Cops will always do their job, but they will now consider their jobs to be responding to shootings, not preventing them.”

Vallone also said the panel of professors “may wind up fiddling while New York City burns.”

“NYPD policy, which is the most effective in the nation, should be left to experts like Ray Kelly, not inexperienced panels,” he said.

City Councilman Jimmy Oddo (R-SI), said he thought Scheindlin’s ruling and the Community Safety Act were leading cops to be less “proactive” on the streets, saying “some will do it sort of unconsciously and some will do it overtly.”

“There’s no way of measuring that on the crime rate, but common sense tells you how the scenario would play out” he said.

“There would be an officer whose experience and gut might tell him this might be a situation. Whereas before he might’ve intervened, this whole discussion creates a chilling effect on his or her work — and if folks deny that, I think they’re denying human nature.”