NYPD spokesman slams Cruz over Muslim patrol proposal

New York Police Department spokesman Peter Donald shot back at Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Tuesday regarding comments he made earlier about patrolling Muslim neighborhoods.

Hey, @tedcruz are our nearly 1k Muslim officers a “threat” too? It’s hard to imagine a more incendiary, foolish statement

— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) March 23, 2016

{mosads}The Texas senator on Tuesday called for the U.S. to “empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized” while discussing the terrorist attacks in Brussels that killed more than 30 people and wounded more than 100.

Cruz’s presidential campaign later expanded on what he said.

“We know what is happening with these isolated Muslim neighborhoods in Europe,” the Cruz campaign said in a statement to The Hill earlier Tuesday.

“If we want to prevent it from happening here, it is going to require an empowered, visible law enforcement presence that will both identify problem spots and partner with non-radical Americans who want to protect their homes.”

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton also criticized Cruz on Tuesday for his remarks, Politico reported.

“The statements he made today is why he’s not going to become president of this country,” Bratton said.

“We don’t need a president that doesn’t respect the values that form the foundation of this country,” he said. “As the mayor mentioned, I have over 900 very dedicated officers in this department, many of whom do double duty, and they serve as active duty members of the U.S. military in combat, something the senator has never seen,” he said.

“So before he starts denigrating any population, he should take a close look at who he’s denigrating,” Bratton added.

He said he takes “great offense” at Cruz’s remarks.

“The senator basically is really out of line with his comments,” Bratton said.