With yesterday’s passing of the Right To Know Act the New York City Council continues its frenzied circus act.

By passing this inane set of bills, which mandate officers, upon approaching a suspect, to hand out business cards along with a courteous introduction and the option not to comply, the City Council hopes to obliterate any remaining authority our officers still have.

From my days in the city council, I have been, and remain, a staunch believer that we are all safer when our police have the tools and support they need to go out there every day and protect us from terrorists, violence and crime. This constant chipping away at the authority of the police creates an atmosphere of anxiety around proactive policing. It discourages officers from making stops that might thwart terrorists and prevents searches that help lead to the arrest of violent criminals before the completion of a heinous crime.

Despite some elected officials chirping about how safe NYC is, the truth is that since the outlaw of stop and frisk quality of life crimes have increased exponentially. Graffiti, petty street crimes and homelessness are only the beginning. The full effect of the cycle they’ve set in motion won’t be fully evident until those at the helm of this disastrous administration have moved on to other positions and we’re left to clean up the mess they leave behind.

Quality of life crimes festering under a lack of authority can be waved away as a minor nuisance for now, while the powers that be tout crime statistics that don’t tell the whole story. They say numbers don’t lie, but they don’t always tell the whole truth either. Like clay in the hands of the sculptor, they are a representation.

The truth is that the NYPD has built itself into a world class department through years of experienced police work. In any other profession they would be celebrated as the experts they are.  Ironically, the city council chooses instead to vilify and castigate them while pushing legislation that would give criminals the upper hand. The strength necessary to protect a city like ours comes only with an equal amount of authority, strip the authority and we all will suffer.

There seems to be some confusion that I’d like to help clear up. Terrorists and criminals are the enemy of a civilized society. Those who protect us – are heroes.

As the threat of terror attacks grows, our city needs to be more prepared than ever. I, for one, feel safer when I know that those who choose to dedicate their lives to protecting innocent people can do so without their hands tied behind their backs, but that’s exactly what will happen if the City Council has its way.

This circus is quickly turning in to a house of horrors.

State Senator Simcha Felder represents the 17th Senate District which encompasses the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison and Bensonhurst.

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