Q&A
Council Member Paladino questions NYPD on transparency and ICE cooperation
1:52:24
·
3 min
Council Member Vickie Paladino engages in a Q&A session with NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber, focusing on the department's transparency under the POST Act and its cooperation with ICE. Gerber defends the NYPD's efforts to be transparent and clarifies that their collaboration with ICE is strictly for criminal law enforcement purposes.
- Paladino expresses frustration with the perceived treatment of NYPD as "criminals" during the hearing
- Gerber acknowledges that DOI audits find some errors in their Impact and Use Policies (IUPs) but maintains that the NYPD is fulfilling its obligations under the POST Act
- The discussion touches on the recent announcement about ICE's presence at Rikers Island and emphasizes that ICE operations target criminal elements, not innocent individuals
Vickie Paladino
1:52:24
Good afternoon and thank you very much.
1:52:27
You know, I got up and I got upset before, because, I will explain myself.
1:52:33
This is not a courtroom.
1:52:34
Okay?
1:52:35
And, when you are being prosecuted as such as criminals, I get a little upset because the chairman and chairwomen of this committee these committees have a responsibility.
1:52:48
They certainly do take their freedom of that responsibility with me whenever I need to say something that goes against the grain of, the dominating body in this room.
1:53:00
So with that being said, let me ask you this.
1:53:05
You've made great strides in technology.
1:53:08
You've made great strides in everything.
1:53:11
And yet, we're looking to tie you up again.
1:53:14
I wanna ask you just a quick one question because it's just I'm not being critical.
1:53:21
Are the criticisms that the NYPD is not transparent enough under the post act justified?
1:53:31
Let's keep it simple.
Michael Gerber
1:53:32
Yeah.
1:53:33
I think we go to great lengths to be transparent.
1:53:36
We have tried very, very, very hard
Yusef Salaam
1:53:39
Mhmm.
Michael Gerber
1:53:39
To fulfill our obligations under the law.
1:53:43
I do think that DOI sometimes identifies errors in our IUPs.
Tiffany Cabán
1:53:48
Of course.
Michael Gerber
1:53:48
They do these audits.
1:53:49
I wish they found nothing.
1:53:50
But no, they do find things.
1:53:52
They do a deep dive.
1:53:52
It's incredibly thorough.
1:53:53
It's actually very helpful to us.
1:53:55
It's very valuable.
1:53:56
We learn from those reports.
1:53:58
They identify things where we need more information or there's ambiguity or missing something.
1:54:04
And then and then we fix it.
1:54:06
So that, you know, that's that's a good thing and a healthy thing.
1:54:11
Do I think, writ large, we are fulfilling our obligations under the act?
1:54:16
I do.
1:54:16
Do I think we are working very hard in good faith to be transparent with the public?
1:54:22
Yes.
Vickie Paladino
1:54:24
The other question, is simple as well.
1:54:28
I heard discussions about ICE here in this room.
1:54:33
Quite clearly, it has been made very clear over the last week that's been publicized that ICE will now have an area of Rikers Island, whereas they will be able to, figure out exactly who the criminals are.
1:54:50
I wanna just clear for the record that we are not knocking on people's doors.
1:54:55
ICE is not knocking on people's doors, taking innocent people out of their homes, out of their schools, or anything like that.
1:55:02
You are going you are going and going to cooperate strictly for the criminal element.
1:55:08
Is that correct?
Michael Gerber
1:55:10
We are engaged in criminal law enforcement.
Vickie Paladino
1:55:13
That is correct.
Michael Gerber
1:55:14
That that is what we are doing.
1:55:16
That's what we've
Vickie Paladino
1:55:16
clarify because, you know
Michael Gerber
1:55:19
There should be no confusion on this.
1:55:20
And again, the the police commissioner has been crystal clear.
Adlerette Kebreau
1:55:24
Clear.
Michael Gerber
1:55:25
We do criminal law enforcement.
1:55:27
We've done it in the past.
1:55:28
We do it now.
1:55:29
We will do it in the future.
1:55:30
It's incredibly important.
1:55:31
It's what the NYPD does every day, and we do it with our federal partners every day.
1:55:35
It's and it's incredibly important.
1:55:37
And we're and we're very devoted to that work.
1:55:39
It's a very important work.
Vickie Paladino
1:55:40
Because the there are communities that are being very hard hit by the migrant crime and every that's been going on.
1:55:48
Now I would think that most people would be appreciative of the fact that we are going to help get to the bottom of the crime element that's going on in the city right now.
1:56:01
It's taken over our city.
1:56:03
So just to be clear once again, ICE is not going after innocent people.
1:56:08
ICE is going over going after strictly the worst of the worst in the criminal element?
Michael Gerber
1:56:14
We are doing criminal enforcement.
1:56:16
Thank you.
1:56:16
Criminal law enforcement.
1:56:17
It's what we do every day.
Vickie Paladino
1:56:18
Okay.
1:56:18
Good.
1:56:19
Thank you, sir.
1:56:20
Appreciate it.