Republican New York City mayoral candidate Joe Lhota is apologizing for saying that Port Authority police officers are “mall cops.”
Lhota made the remark at a Pace University candidate forum on women’s issues Tuesday night, in response to a question about sex trafficking through John F. Kennedy Airport, which is run by the Port Authority. The PAPD lost 37 members in the 9/11 attacks.
“I don’t think the Port Authority does a good enough job in anything that they do, quite honestly, but particularly in the area of security,” Lhota said. “Those cops get paid more than NYPD cops and quite honestly — and I know I’m going to get in trouble for saying this — they’re nothing more than mall cops.”
Lhota, a former Giuliani administration official and MTA chairman, said in a statement Wednesday that he was sorry for the “insensitive” remark.
“I regret my unfortunate characterization of the Port Authority Police Department. It was an inappropriate answer that does not accurately reflect the hard work of its officers.”
The Port Authority called Lhota’s comments “dead wrong” and “offensive,” saying they suggested a lack of understanding for what its officers face each day on the job.
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