Bloomberg has the backbone of a jellyfish. I guess all major police departments have the same problems with idiots getting in the way.
Even the Civilian Complaint Review Board-something that was imposed by the Dinkins administration, after having been explicitly rejected by this city's voters in a plebiscite years before-doesn't have nearly the power that a similar body in Los Angeles does.
Not that it should even exist in the first place; it shouldn't.
But overall, New York City is much better in this respect than any other major city.
The problem is that Bloomberg is a clueless schmuck.
I remember a caller to the John Gambling show-this was the day of the week when they invite the mayor of the city on to discuss issues with constituents-complaining about the shrieking, blood-curdling calls of the muezzin at one of the numerous mosques that blight this city nowadays, asking him if something could be done to make this imam conform with public nuisance laws that apply to every other group in this city.
Of course, Bloomie's response was that he couldn't do anything to "suppress" this would-be UBL from "exercising his religion."
It doesn't seem to have occurred to this putz that that imam-if he had his way-would probably have him beheaded.
What a dope we have as mayor!
*sigh*