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department now has officers who were born in 106 different countries. Among other action taken to foster harmoni- ous relationships, he said, the NYPD formed cricket and soccer leagues to get closer to the south Asian and Caribbean populations, par- ticularly teenagers, living in the city. The NYPD began a "homeless outreach" pro- gram, focusing at first on removing homeless persons from the subway system. This did not work; they simply moved to the streets. Thus, it was necessary to implement additional strategies. Kelly did say that an "enforce- ment component" is necessary in addition to social services in handling problems with the homeless. STRATEGIES Whether dealing with criminal activities or ter- rorism, Kelly said the most important strategy is "cops on the ground gathering information." In addition, the use of technology is increas- ing and producing positive results. Starting in 2005, a program based on lots of "smart cameras" and license plate readers was put into use in lower Manhattan. It proved to be very effective and has since been extended to mid-town. NYPD officers, who monitor the system, can put in questions (algorithms) to quickly find what they are looking for, such as a certain vehicle. The system can also be configured to monitor, for example, how long a package has been sitting unattended on a park bench and alert police to its presence after a set time period. Kelly commented briefly on the "stop and frisk" policy used by the NYPD during his tenure as commissioner which became the subject of a lawsuit. He "couldn't say I had a warm relationship with the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union]." (Sarasota News Leader research shows the city is withdraw- ing its appeal of the case and will be settling.) Former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly gathers with Sarasota County students before his evening appearance in the Ringling College Library Town Hall Lecture Series at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota Feb. 10. Photo courtesy Robert Pope Photography and Ringling College Library Association Sarasota News Leader February 14, 2014 Page 66