Ray Kelly: What a Great Hire

Originally posted March 31, 2014.

The NY Post reports that ABC has hired former NY Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as a consultant.

New York’s two-time top cop will work on “all ABC News platforms,” according to network news chief Ben Sherwood.

“One of the world’s most well-known and respected leaders in law enforcement, Kelly is the first person to serve two, non-consecutive tenures as” NYPD commissioner, Sherwood said.

“It is an honor and privilege to have him on our team.”

The 72-year-old New York native had two stints at 1 Police Plaza, leading the nation’s largest police force with about 34,500 sworn officers.

He ran the NYPD, first under Mayor David Dinkins from 1992 to 1994, and then again under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, starting in 2002, until Mayor Bill de Blasio took over on Jan. 1.

Murders peaked in New York City in 1990, with 2,245 slayings. Kelly left office with just 334 homicides committed in Gotham in 2013, the lowest city total since the mid-1950s.

Sherwood lauded Kelly’s work in fighting street crime and then leading New York City law enforcement in the post-9/11 era.

“He successfully reduced the city’s violent crime rate by 40 percent and also established the first counter-terrorism bureau of any city police department in the US,” he said.