New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that if he was mayor of New York City, “‘stop and frisk’ would be back in about five minutes.”
Christie, appearing on “Morning Joe” Tuesday, blasted NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying “this mayor presumes guilt on part of the police officers before anything happens.”
“Stop and frisk” was a policing tactic used widely under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in which officers could search a suspicious person for weapons or illegal drugs.
Harold Ford, Jr.: If you were mayor, I agree with some of your criticisms of this mayor, what would you do differently to turn around some of these things?
Chris Christie: “Stop and frisk” would be back in about five minutes, yes it would. “Stop and frisk” would be back in about five minutes, and we would empower the police, not undercut them. And listen, if a police officer steps over the line, then they deserve to be taken care of and prosecuted. But this guy, this mayor presumes guilt on the part of the police officers before anything happens.
Mika Brzezinski: Do you think everything was going right with “stop and frisk?”
Christie: Listen, you know what, Mika? Here’s what leadership is all about. What leadership is about is if there are some problems with a particular policy, fix them. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. And what you have seen in this city and everybody out there who is in New York and watching this or New Jersey knows it who comes to New York City, that it is not a safer place. And the idea that this mayor is sitting here and deluding the American people on national television that this is the safest summer?