The law enforcement veteran and InVest USA founder discusses the latest action by New York City’s Mayor-elect, inviting a convicted armed robber to help reshape the criminal justice system.

“When did the nuts take over the nuthouse?”

That’s a quote from the 2005 movie Batman Begins – and an appropriate question when it comes to Zohran Mamdani’s latest appointments for his “criminal legal system” committee in New York City.

Mamdani, who won the Mayoral race last month, has already been seen as a controversial figure due to his horrible comments hurled at police officers years prior. He’s insisting that he’s changed his tune since then and wants to take care of the men and women in blue. But now? I’m not so sure.

The New York Post recently reported that Mysonne Linen has been added to Mamdani’s committee as an advisor, in an effort to help “build a city for each and every person” within the city.

Sounds good, right? Until you realize who Linen really is – a convicted armed robber.

In the late 1990s, Linen was found guilty of two felony heists – robbing two taxi drivers at gunpoint. Both drivers pointed him out in a line-up and got him locked up for a period of seven years.

I’m not saying that people aren’t due for reform. If he learned something in prison, that’s certainly good news. But I feel a little bit uneasy when it comes to someone like that deciding what’s right in terms of law and order for the city.

“This is a testament to our decades of work advocating on behalf of black and brown communities and our expertise in gun violence prevention, legislative advocacy, and criminal justice reform,” Linen noted. “We are building something different.”

He’s right on the “different” front. But I’d hardly say it’s a better system.

This isn’t the first controversial addition to Mamdani’s consultation team. There’s also sociology professor Alex Vitale, who wrote a book back in 2017 that heavily criticizes the New York Police Department for a ridiculous “broken windows” policing system; and Radical Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, who actually praised a cop killer years prior to their fleeing a life sentence.

But these people are supposed to be shaping the future of law enforcement as we know it in New York City.

And you think Mamdani still doesn’t have a grudge against the police? Because this shows he clearly does.

I’m not the only one who thinks this way, either. I can imagine a number of NYPD officers are feeling absolute frustration with these moves. And recently retired NYPD Chief of Police John Chell believes Linen’s appointment is a huge step in the wrong direction.

“It’s just another appointed adviser that has a questionable past, which is in line with some of his other recent appointees who were anti-police and establishment,” he noted. “The optics and reality here point to a potential erosion of public safety in New York City.”

If that doesn’t make you feel uneasy about the safety in that particular city, then try this.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called out Mamdani for his recent efforts to tell citizens that they have every right to block ICE agents from effectively removing illegal immigrant criminals from their homes without a warrant.

Noem notes that he “could be violating the Constitution by giving advice on how to evade law enforcement and how to get away with breaking the law.”

She added, “We’re certainly going after and looking into all of that with the coordination of the Department of Justice.” I honestly don’t know if anything will stick, but I certainly hope it does.

The bottom line here is that Mamdani is completely going the wrong way when it comes to making a proper police system work in New York City. You know what he needs to do? Hang on, this is a wild idea, but hear me out.

Talk to police officers. Push hatred aside and actually get input from the officers who have already been knuckled under by an unfair government. That kind of input is priceless compared to the criminals and far-left activists he’s put into his employ in that committee.

2026 will definitely be a challenging year for New York law enforcement. I feel for every one of the officers who will no doubt endure Mamdani’s unnecessary wrath. I think Benny Boscio, who serves as President of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, says it best:

“It is both disheartening and deeply disturbing that individuals who are convicted felons and have a history of breaking the law are being given the opportunity to help shape the future of New York’s criminal justice system.”

He added, “The men and women who risk their lives every day to enforce the law have been shut out from this process entirely.” Exactly.

Leave it to the officers, Mamdani. For the sake of your citizens. Your “different” approach is going to backfire in the absolute worst way.

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