Ray Kelly praises NYPD counterterrorist work

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly took time at a police promotion ceremony Friday to laud the efforts of the department's counterterrorism operation in the face of recent criticism about surveillance of Muslims.

Noting that recent polls show that 83 percent of the public believes the department has been effective in fighting terrorism, Kelly singled out the effort of one department lawyer, Stuart I. Parker, who the commissioner said had worked to make police intelligence operations comply with legal mandates.

Parker, a civilian attorney with the department since 2003, was promoted to the rank of assistant commissioner handling legal matters for NYPD intelligence operations.

"The protection of civil liberties is as important to the police department as the protection of the city itself. Thanks in large part to Commissioner Parker we're able to strike an essential balance between the two," Kelly said.

In recent weeks critics have accused the NYPD of possibly unlawful surveillance of Muslims who were exercising their constitutional rights. The department has countered by saying it carries out its intelligence gathering lawfully under a federal court consent decree that allows greater levels of information gathering than previously allowed before 9/11. Assuring compliance with that court decree has been Parker's main job, Kelly said.

More than 125 people, from civilian electricians to as high in rank as an assistant chief were promoted at Friday's ceremony.