Kelly Defends Embattled Officers

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly is defending two officers from accusations of racial insensitivity amid protests from Harlem community leaders.

The two officers are said to have pulled up in front of a Harlem restaurant on Tuesday night with a black baby doll's head on their car's antenna, prompting public outrage from state Senator Bill Perkins, who said he received complaints from local residents who had seen it traveling through the neighborhood.

Mr. Kelly say that witness accounts and the officers' statements suggested that the cops in question did not intentionally place the head on their car, were unaware that it had been put there, and removed it when they were notified of its presence.

"Is it possible that you do not see something on the back of your car? Yes. I mean, how often do you look at the rear of your car?" Mr. Kelly said yesterday at a press conference.

Mr. Kelly said that the police department's internal affairs bureau is investigating the incident and reviewing security tapes of the car to see if they can determine what happened.