They’re cops, not spies

The NYPD is recruiting detectives, sergeants and lieutenants to serve as “intelligence” agents at 17 overseas locations, including Paris, Madrid, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Their mission: gather information about terrorist activities to prevent another 9/11. There is nothing remotely “intelligent” about what they’re doing. Stupidity is a more appropriate word to describe this absolute waste of taxpayers’ money and cops’ time.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said that police officers selected for these posts do not require day-to-day supervision. Of course not, they don’t have any real jobs to perform. They’re just swapping gossip and sharing coffee and drinks with local law enforcement personnel.

Commissioner Browne states that the NYPD has stationed cops overseas since 2001. What have these Jame Bond wannabes accomplished over the past decade? Have they prevented any terrorist attacks on our city? Not that we know of. Police are reactive, not proactive, acting only after an attack, like the recent shootings in France, has occurred. What these fortunate men and women are really doing is enjoying a fully-paid overseas vacation, while we taxpayers pick up the tab. Who wouldn’t want to spend April in Paris or March in Madrid, while New York’s working stiffs pay for their airfare, meals and hotels?

Memo to Ray Kelly: The federal government has an agency to gather foreign intelligence. It’s called the CIA, and it’s been in business for the past 65 years. Since when did the NYPD get a global mandate?

Interpol is the only police force with international jursidiction.It’s bad enough that Commissioner Kelly sends his troops to other states. Dispatching them to other countries is totally insane and wasteful.

Ray Kelly complains about a police manpower shortage. His department has 5,000 fewer cops than it did five years ago. Is this any way to utilize desperately needed resources? Put all of your police officers where they can do the most good — right here in New York. We need them in South Jamaica, not Singapore; in Manhattan, not Madrid. They should be busting up street gangs, arresting drug dealers or preventing iPhone thefts.

Daniel Craig has played 007 effectively for the past six years. No one else need apply for the role. If New York City cops want to work overseas, they should join the military, the State Department or the Peace Corps. If not, please stay home. The world is not your beat.