A day after the Associated Press published a lengthy article detailing how the NYPD is running a secretive police intelligence team to investigate Muslim communities as part of counter-terrorism efforts—with possibly civil liberties-infringing tactics, like sending informants to mosques where there's no evidence of wrong-doing—Mayor Bloomberg admitted that the NYPD is working with the CIA. But he defended its practices, “If there are threats or leads to follow, then the NYPD’s job is to do it. The law is pretty clear about what’s the requirement and I think they follow the law. We don’t stop to think about the religion. We stop to think about the threats and focus our efforts there." more ›

Last night around 8 p.m., a vehicle carrying Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was caught in a three-car accident on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn. And snow is involved. According to WCBS 2, "First, a white van was cut off by a red sedan as the lanes merged. The van swerved to avoid hitting the sedan and struck a snow embankment and a road barrier. Commissioner Kelly’s driver put on the brakes, but the SUV slid into the van and was then struck by a Lincoln Towncar." more ›

The NYPD has not revealed any more details about a man who was charged over the weekend with ten felony counts of using Manhattan pay phones to make "terroristic threats" to kill Mayor Bloomberg. Jeffrey Fisher of Philadelphia (not Robert Morgenthau of New York) is accused of calling 911 to make statements such as, "There are bullets now aimed at the mayor’s head everywhere." NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and his family were also threatened. more ›

Since May, a Philadelphia man has used Manhattan payphones to make 10 calls to 911 threatening to kill Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly, authorities tell NBCNewYork.com. Jeffrey Fisher, 48, is being held on $100,000 bail after his arraignment Saturday in Manhattan Criminal Court on 10 counts of making a terroristic threat. According to prosecutors, his calls included such threats as, "I'm gonna come and kill your Mayor," and "The Mayor's office, he's a target, we will kill him." During one of four calls in October, he allegedly asked the operator to "tell Commissioner Kelly he is dead," and during another call he threatened to "kill the mayor if he shows up to the marathon." (This proved to be an empty threat.) more ›

Yesterday, about 250 people marched in Harlem during a rally for Omar Edwards, the off-duty police officer who was fatally shot in Harlem by a fellow cop. Edwards, who was black, had been pursuing a man suspected of breaking into his car with his gun drawn; his shooter, police officer Andrew Dunton, was white. According to the Reverend Al Sharpton said, "We're not here to play the race card. We're trying to stop the card from being played on black law enforcement." more ›

Attorney Andrew Cuomo joined Police Commissioner Ray Kelly yesterday to announce that a $2.5 million vehicle theft ring was busted. According to the AG's Office, a "Bronx-based criminal enterprise... stole and exported millions of dollars worth of construction equipment and luxury vehicles." Authorities arrested 12 people who targeted Hummers, Porsches, Caterpillar Excavators and more at construction sites, car dealerships, garages, and even on the streets. more ›

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced that, overall, the city was on course for another year of declining crime, even in spite of the economic slowdown. Major felony crime fell 4% this year versus last and 30% versus 2001 (see chart, from the city, below). However, robberies were up 2% vs. 2007 (but were down 21% vs. 2001) and murders were up 5% (but down 21% vs. 2001). more ›

Yesterday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly covered the rise in bank robberies across the city, laying some blame on how many branches are open longer and have more welcoming atmospheres--like barrier-less tellers, “Now they look like living rooms and they are open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s their business plan. If they think that is how they are going to make money fine. We also think that they have an obligation to the public at large, to protect them and use these practices that have worked in the past.” CityRoom points out that the Midtown bank where a robber struck yesterday has its tellers behind thick glass. more ›

An off-duty detective who ended up wounding a man who fired upon him was initially sidelined from the force, for having a blood alcohol level of 0.09, slightly higher than the legal limit for driving. But now Police Commissioner Kelly has praised him as a near hero. more ›

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that one police officer was stripped of his badge and gun "for ordering the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed black officer out of his auto while the three-star chief was off-duty and parked in Queens." Naturally, the incident has sparked outrage from both sides. more ›

Some Capitol Hill offices received letters claiming responsibility for this morning's bombing in Times Square. WNBC reports that the letters, which arrived today, included a photo of the Army recruiting center "before it was bombed and...the words 'We did it.'" more ›

The NYPD released surveillance footage of this morning's explosion near the Army recruiting center in Times Square. The footage shows a bicyclist approaching the building and an explosion taking place after he leaves. more ›

The Post has fun with a story about a robbery at a Brooklyn grocery, as a man stole a number of salamis and was trying to spirit them out in his clothes. Of course, this earns the headline "WURST-CASE SCENARIO FOR THIEF: COPS." more ›

Overall major felony crime is also down 26% since 2001. Mayor Bloomberg said, "When I came into office, many believed it was impossible to drive crime, particularly murders, down any further. Yet, beginning in 2002, crime declined steadily and murders fell below 600 annually for the first time in 40 years. That happened again in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Now, in 2007, we have reached another milestone, murders could potentially fall below 500 - and that includes a decrease in random murders where victims don't know the perpetrators." In other words, take that, Rudy! more ›

Even thought Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign tries to insist that the story is old news and a hit job, the Rudy-NYPD security detail Travelgate situation keeps getting messier. Why? Because even if one agrees that a security detail for Giuliani while he was visiting his then-mistress (and now current wife) Judi Nathan in the Hamptons is a legitimate use of taxpayer money (even if it was randomly billed to various city agencies - which the... more ›

The family of late Detective Dillon Stewart was joined by Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and other city officials in the dedication of a Prospect Park playground in Stewart's honor. The Parade Ground Playground, at the corner of Caton Avenue and Parade Place, near East 16th, was renamed the Dillon Stewart Playground. Stewart was killed on November 28, 2005, when he and his partner stopped a car for a traffic violation. Someone... more ›

Howard Beach residents are probably shaking their heads over reports of yet another allegedly racially motivated attack in their neighborhood. The police say that a group of white teenagers claims they were attacked by a group, who were made up of Hispanics and blacks. more ›

The early Thursday morning fight in Union Square was apparently set off by a diss. The Post reports that the victims were all affiliated with gangs and the "violence appeared to have stemmed from a show of 'disrespect.'" more ›

The police arrested two white men in the the beating of a black man in Staten Island. The Reverend Al Sharpton appeared with the victim and said, "We cannot live in a city, state or nation where people cannot safely be in the streets or anywhere else because of the color of their skin." more ›

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is getting a lot of ink in our newspapers today after it was revealed that (A) he had requested a visit to Ground Zero - to lay a wreath, no less - and then shortly later that (B) the city had denied the request. Way to work fast, city agencies! more ›

The police department has launched a citywide dragnet to find suspects who fired at two police officers during a Brooklyn traffic stop early yesterday morning. 23-year-old police officer Russel Timoshenko was shot twice in the head while 26-year-old police officer Herman Yan was shot in the arm and chest. A surveillance video showed that the cops were shot before they had reached the driver and passengers in the car. The Daily News' Michael Daly describes:

Footage from the surveillance camera mounted outside the Little Red Riding Hood preschool shows the green BMW SUV pulling over. more ›

- Last month a structural fire on Staten Island was started by a child playing with fireworks in his bedroom.Mayor Bloomberg said, "In the hands of a trained professional, fireworks can produce some of the most thrilling shows you'll ever see. But in the hands of an amateur, they are very dangerous and illegal," and urges New Yorkers to call 311 to report illegal fireworks. more ›

Yesterday, two cars full of gasoline and nails were found near London's Picadilly Circus. The car bombs were defused, and British authorities determined that the two vehicles were linked, which is apparently an al Qaeda tactic. Had the bombs gone off, the Post reports "security experts said that if the car bombs found yesterday had been ignited, they would have created enormous fireballs, followed by shock waves forming a killing zone at least 400 yards in diameter." more ›

Some more details about the man suspected of raping women in NYC parks. Now police believe he is behind five rapes (yesterday he was linked to four): Two rapes occurred four years ago in Queens parks - a June 2003 rape in Baisley Pond Park and a August 2003 rape in Roy Wilkins Park. This year, police believe the attacker is behind three rapes - one in Prospect Park in April, a June 11 attack at Roy Wilkins Park, and a June 15 rape in Prospect Park. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, 1,097 police cadets graduated from the Police Academy in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden. The Mayor said, "Just a few weeks ago, the FBI reported that violent crime went up in the rest of the nation during 2006, but here in New York violent crime decreased. The NYPD has continued to drive violent crime and property crime down to historic lows this year - and year after year. Today we welcome 1,097 men and women into the ranks of our Police Department to continue the proud tradition of New York's Finest." more ›

After two days on life support, the 56-year-old bodega owner, who was shot in the face during a robbery attempt, died yesterday morning and police continued their search for the group suspected of robbing a number of bodegas over the past four months. Police Commissioner Kelly said the robbers are "certainly" considered "dangerous," but Cruz's family wonders why the police didn't tell the community about the robberies. more ›

The police continued to look for the robbers who shot a Queens bodega owner in the face on Monday night. Bolivar Cruz, a Dominican immigrant, is still on life support; the Post reports that two of his seven daughters were working in store at the time and that Cruz tried to protect them. According to Police Commissioner Kelly, Cruz did take out a gun (unlicensed) but did not get a chance to fire it. It's unclear whether the robbers saw Cruz's gun. Cruz is not expected to survive. more ›

Truck drivers entering New York will have to be patient: The NYPD is inspecting more of them for bomb materials as authorities step up counter-terrorism efforts, and two days ago, the NYPD ending up stopping 40 of 50 trucks that entered. more ›

The new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says the NYPD thinks it's the NPD - the National Police Department. The Daily News reports that Democratic Mississippi representative Bennie Thompson is critical of the NYPD's tactics that stretch into other jurisdictions. He told the News, "While I understand that chasing down leads in other locales might help keep the city safe, I emphasized that the NYPD is not the FBI, that it does not have national jurisdiction." more ›