The New York Police Department's top official pressed his defense Monday of the department's aggressive intelligence-gathering operations and said he won't apologize for keeping tabs on some Muslims if that's what it takes to protect the city.
"Not everybody is going to be happy with everything the police department does, that's the nature of our business," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. "But our primary mission, our primary goal, is to keep this city safe, to save lives. That's what we're engaged in doing."
The comments came in the wake of criticism aimed at Kelly since it was revealed that NYPD conducted surveillance on some Muslims across the Northeast following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called the spying "disturbing," and Newark Mayor Cory Booker said he would not have allowed it in his city had he known about it.
Copyright 2012 Gannett Company, Inc.All Rights Reserved
