New York Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday he welcomes any federal law enforcement assistance, especially regarding tighter gun restrictions, but that a federal takeover similar to Washington, D.C's is not needed.
"New York is moving in the right direction in public safety," Adams told reporters Tuesday, citing record decreases in homicides, as well as drops in gun violence the overall crime rate. "And if the federal government wants to assist us in really navigating some of the laws around easy accessibility to automatic weapons ... I mean, you know, this person who shot up 345 Park Avenue drove across the country with an automatic weapon. And he had a history of dealing with, you know, mental health issues. So, there is some assistance we can get from the federal government."
Adams was referring to Shane Tamura, 27, who drove from Las Vegas to New York over several days before he strode into a skyscraper at 345 Park Ave. on July 28 and fatally shot four people, including a NYPD officer, and wounded a fifth. Tamura then fatally shot himself.
Trump announced Monday that D.C.'s police department would be put under federal control, and National Guard troops have been deployed after a public safety emergency. Using temporary powers from the Home Rule Act of 1973, the president can oversee the police for up to 30 days, but any extension would need congressional approval or a legal amendment.
Trump mentioned New York several times in his announcement, as well as Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Oakland, California. However, the Constitution and the Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibit direct federal control over local police. Outside of Washington, D.C., federal involvement in local law enforcement usually requires special constitutional or statutory authority — such as under the Home Rule Act — or cooperative arrangements with local authorities. No president has attempted to federalize a city's police department outside of Washington, D.C., because no such authority exists.
"We should deal with stopping the access of these guns," Adams said. "There are more grants that I think our federal partners can get. And so, I'm not part of the group that says we don't want to work in coordination with the federal government, but we don't need anyone to come in and take over our law enforcement apparatus. We have the finest police department on the globe. People come here to be trained, and people speak with us to get assistance.
"And so, if the White House wants to help us in what we're doing to continue our success, and if we can help other cities, municipalities, they may want to ask us to come in and help other cities. We're willing to go into other cities and help them as well. But we don't need anyone to come in and take over. We've got this under control."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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