Having more police on the streets of New York City is "always best," but the city is facing a dangerous situation with the potential election of Democrat nominee Zohran Mamdani, retired NYPD detective and former Joint Terrorism Task Force agent Tom Smith warned on Newsmax Tuesday, one day after the deadly shootings in midtown Manhattan. 

"We cannot have lawlessness in this city, and if Mamdani gets in, that's exactly what you're going to have," Smith said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "We have to have law and order and the leadership that puts that law and order in the forefront, leading the NYPD and making sure the city is safe and the citizens are safe, and this one individual has none of that on his mind."

Mamdani in 2020 made statements about defunding the police, but in the second New York City Democratic Party mayoral debate this summer, he backed down on that stance, insisting that if elected as mayor, he would not defund the police. 

"I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play in creating public safety," he said, according to media reports. "We need to ensure that police can focus on those crimes, and [that] we have mental health professionals and social workers to address and tackle, and resolve the mental health crisis and homelessness."

Four people were killed Monday at a Manhattan office building when the suspect, Shane Tamura, opened fire before killing himself.   

"More police is always the best," said Smith. "New York City wants to feel safe with having police everywhere, on every corner, in every situation, but you know, unfortunately, they can't be everywhere. But a situation like this would have been great if someone were around and noticed him getting out of his car, walking towards that building."

Smith told Newsmax that the NYPD is "next to none" when it comes to investigation and response to an emergency. 

Meanwhile, even with New York City's strict gun laws, it would have been hard to keep a shooter like Tamura from opening fire, said Smith. 

"When you have a person that's hell bent on creating a situation like this, it's hard to stop him, especially when he's driving across the country to do this act," he said. "You know, no gun law is going to prevent a maniac from doing exactly what he did. And it's just sad and upsetting. And hopefully they get to more of the bottom of this."

Smith added that he would encourage people to join the police department to serve the city. 

"You want to get the message out there that it's the best job in the world," he said. "I did it for 30 years, and I would do it again tomorrow. They have to realize that it's the best department in the world, and what you get out of it is unmatched, the service to the city of New York, and protecting those who can't protect themselves. That's why we're here, and you want officers who just are living that and loving the job. Hopefully, that recruiting is taking place to get the best we can on our job."

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