Letter from the Editor
Hi Neighbor,
When I read in the New York Post the other day that a long-time Staten Islander, a gentleman I’ve known for decades and worked with on many Staten Island charitable fundraising events, is a pro-Mamdani, anti-cop chairman of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, I did a double take.
“Mohammad Khalid? Dr. Khalid? No way,” thought I.
But there it was, a Post exclusive, where Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry blasted the CCRB, and Dr. Khalid specifically,
“With his blatantly biased voting record and dangerous plan to strip away the police commissioner’s authority, Dr. Khalid has turned out to be just another anti-cop wolf in sheep’s clothing,” the PBA president told the Post.
The union chief wants him canned.
The CCRB is an agency established to be independent of the NYPD – and politics — comprised of civilians, with its own civilian investigative team, to review allegations against police officers. They find allegations either substantiated or unsubstantiated.
The PBA cited statistics that saw the CCRB backing hundreds of substantiated recommendations, again pointing to Dr. Khalid in his role as chair.
What is mind-boggling about the PBA’s attack on the Staten Island dentist is that he has a reputation, at least in our community, as a guy who always “backs the blue.”
And honors them.
Mohammad is president of the Iron Hills Civic Association, which covers a swath of Dongan Hills and Todt Hill.
At the group’s winter meeting last year, Dr. Khalid honored First Deputy Police Commissioner Tania Kinsella. The room was filled with NYPD people. The year before, a deputy chief, a deputy inspector and a detective were guests. The year before that, two detectives, two lieutenants, an NYPD inspector and a deputy inspector, along with a bunch of officers, were guests.
This has been going on since 1996, when Dr. Khalid became association president.
In simplest terms, the CCRB is a 15-member panel (although the current CCRB is at 12, down three members.) Civilians are recommended by City Council representatives, and the full Council votes them up or down. There is a mayoral representative, an NYPD representative and a City Council representative among them.
A civilian investigative team reviews cases and sends those recommendations to the panel.
If the panel agrees – each member gets a vote — the recommendation is sent to the police commissioner. The commissioner makes the decision on whether to accept the recommendation and what punishment, if any, is appropriate.
Mohammad Khalid is not the sole arbiter. He is one of 12 votes. But I suppose it’s akin to a sports team – if you don’t like the results, fire the manager.
It’s hard to determine what exactly fueled the uproar. Or if it was a confluence of things.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has ruled both ways on CCRB recommendations.
In July, she refused to support a CCRB “substantiated” report on the fatal shooting of an unarmed man. She agreed with a state attorney general’s office finding. But recently, she upheld a CCRB “substantiated” report claiming NYPD misconduct and use of excessive force in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old with mental health issues.
Perhaps Dr. Khalid’s biggest mistake was testimony he presented to the City Council, which gave PBA President Hendry opportunity to tie him to mayoral candidate Zhoran Mamdani – a politician Mohammad has never met, nor spoken with. In fact, although I don’t know for certain, I would not be surprised if Mohammad was a Sliwa supporter. Or Cuomo, at the very least.
Mamdani? No.
Assemblyman Mamdani wants to remove the police commissioner as final arbiter in the disciplinary decisions, letting them rest solely with the CCRB.
Dr. Khalid offered the same proposal to the City Council, calling the CCRB a “paper tiger . . . with no teeth.”
The last three CCRB chairs apparently pushed for the same, which explains in part the union’s displeasure with the panel.
An argument can be made that a Civilian Complaint Review Board shouldn’t even exist. The NYPD has its own Internal Affairs division. Maybe I watch too many cop shows, but it seems the rank-and-file aren’t too fond of that group.
But the board does exist and taking the NYPD out as final arbiter would be a mistake. A big one in this time of anti-NYPD sentiment among many on the City Council, and the leading candidate for mayor himself.
I get it – many might think the NYPD would want to protect its own. Maybe. And it’s true that America’s system of justice relies on a jury of the accused peers.
But like it or not, we civilians are not exactly peers of the people who put their lives at risk every day.
NYPD experience from top, hopefully unbiased, leadership is essential in determining the fate of those cops.
The bottom line in all this? Mohammad Khalid is a good person who has worked hard for our community. He has been fair in all he has done in his many decades as an American . . . as a Staten Islander.
This brouhaha has hurt him personally. He feels his integrity has been destroyed.
Dr. Khalid has worked for years raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Friends of Hospice Care. He worked with the Advance on the Staten Island Children’s Campaign, and again with the Advance to save the oldest house on Staten Island, the Biliou-Stillwel-Perine in Dongan Hills, built in 1663. He fields problems from civic association neighbors day-and-night, generally getting them solved.
He had served the CCRB as a member for 10 years during the Bloomberg administration. He was on the Bloomberg Charter Revision Commission. Gov. Pataki appointed him to the State Health Council, where he served for six years.
He does not deserve such public vilification.
The review board was established to be independent, without political or NYPD influence. Members are supposed to review the evidence carefully and vote their conscience.
But there’s something to be said about listening to the other side. Perhaps if the PBA president and the CCRB chair sat and heard each other’s side, we might not be in this battle today.
Brian
Oh by the way: The pundits are debating where all those Eric Adams votes (were there really that many?) will go now that he has dropped out of the mayoral race. If you want to know how far he has dropped out, he’s just getting back from Albania today. The mayor, with about three months left in office, was there to discuss tourism, we’re told. Uh huh. But where will the votes go – with his name still on the ballot? I’m betting a lot will go to Eric Adams. With all due respect to the voters of New York, I wonder how many know he dropped out.
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Brian Laline
Executive Editor
SILive.com and Staten Island Advance
laline@siadvance.com
