Is NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly TOO OLD for the Job?

[SoDesuKa]

At 70 years old, Commissioner Ray Kelly is seven years older than the Department's mandatory retirement age. His job is a hands-on position that requires him to be fully engaged, making policy decisions that affect the entire City of New York. Today's New York Times notes, however, that the Department seems unprepared for the challenges it's actually facing. Trained to deal with terrorists, the cops don't know how to handle a simple street demonstration.

Kelly recently went on 60 Minutes to brag that his helicopters can shoot down a plane from the sky. It's unclear why the Commissioner believes the United States needs another Air Force. The Department's bizarre response to the video of the cop pepper spraying a group of women seems to have been come directly from the Commissioner's office. Police spokesman Paul Browne said the tape was edited to make the cops look bad. It's the sort of response you'd expect from a grumpy old man, not from an experienced PR guy.

Kelly's gotten numerous awards throughout his career, including being inducted by French president Sarkozy into the Legion d'Honneur. But you have to wonder if he's staying in the job the way J. Edgar Hoover did - by having damaging information to use against anyone who might dislodge him. It's clearly time for the Mayor to shop around for a replacement. How much longer will it be before a series of petty corruption incidents turns into something major?

[trumad]

1. Well you know...

we can't trust our lying eyes.

[midnight]

2. K&R

[Syrinx]

3. No.

He might be a bad person for the job.

But I'm tired of posts like this in the last few hours asking whether people are disqualified for their jobs because they are too old, or too fat... etc.

Judge on performance, please.

[salin]

5. + 1

[pinboy3niner]

6. +2

People should be judged by merit, not physical characteristics.

[SoDesuKa]

8. Mandatory Retirement

Everybody else in the Police Department has to retire when they hit age 63. There's nothing special about Raymond Kelly, except that he's the guy who locked up protesters at the 2004 Republican Convention in New York.

If you want to make an exception to a policy that affects everyone else in the New York Police Department, I can't agree that it should be Ray Kelly. Anybody but him.

[Syrinx]

9. no more mandatory retirement

Do you hate Ray Kelly, or do you hate old people in general?

[SoDesuKa]

10. Out of Control

You're taking an extreme position here if you are advocating that there should never be a mandatory retirement age. The normal retirement age for cops is 63. Why should Ray Kelly be an exception?

[Brickbat]

4. This is a bullshit question to ask.

There are ways to say what you're saying without bringing his age into it.

[SoDesuKa]

7. Stolen Strawberries

You're right. Kelly's judgment was suspicious years ago. However, the Police Department does indeed have a mandatory retirement age. If he were anyone else, he would not have a job with the NYPD.



Kelly's recent bizarre behavior raises questions about his fitness.