The “anti-cop” head of the agency that oversees NYPD discipline stands lockstep with anti-police mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — and should be fired, NYC’s largest police union said.
Since Mohammed Khalid took over as interim chair of the CCRB in December, he’s voted against cops in 95% of substantiated allegations, the Police Benevolent Association said. In September, he voted against the officers 100%, according to the union.
And since he’s been at the helm, the agency has rubber-stamped 97% of investigative decisions – or 616 out of 636 allegations against cops — the union said.
“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,” said PBA President Patrick Hendry.
Khalid, a Staten Island dentist, said during his confirmation that the public should “respect the NYPD” and that his community had “a very good relationship with the police department.”
But that’s not how he has been operating, the union said.
“He and his fellow radicals on the CCRB board are driving good cops away from the NYPD and putting every New York City neighborhood at risk,” Hendry said. “He must be removed from the interim chair position.”
The CCRB investigators probe complaints against officers and find them substantiated or unsubstantiated. The board members, including Khalid, then vote on whether to approve those findings. The board can also recommend administrative penalties, such as a loss of vacation days, and or retraining.
The board sends its findings and a disciplinary recommendation to the police commissioner, who has the final authority to decide what, if any, punishment should be imposed.
The union also called out Khalid for his radical position on giving the CCRB final authority on cop discipline. Currently, the police commissioner makes the final decision on penalties.
During a City Council hearing last week, Khalid called for CCRB to have the last word, saying “We are a tiger, but we don’t have the teeth.”
In one recent case, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch went against the CCRB and refused to fire Lt. Jonathan Rivera, who fatally shot unarmed ex-con Allan Feliz in the Bronx in 2019. Rivera opened fire during a car stop to prevent Feliz, 31, from mowing down a fellow officer, she argued.
One 41-year-old cop told The Post the CCRB cleared him of a use of force allegation during an arrest this year but found that he failed to activate his body-worn camera, leaving a black mark on his record, he said.
That makes cops “hesitant to do the job,” said the officer, who asked to remain anonymous.
“If they do it right, they’re still going to get complaints about it,” he said of officers. “This guy gets collared and has cocaine on him, but still makes a complaint.”
CCRB spokesman Dakota Gardner said the agency “conducts rigorous investigations” into the complaints it receives.
“That these conclusions are often aligned with the investigator’s recommendation shows just how clear the evidence is in many of the cases the board substantiates,” he said. “Every member of the board takes their responsibility to impartially follow the facts and the law extremely seriously, and any suggestion otherwise is patently false.”
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