Police Commissioner Ray Kelly endured more than three hours of questioning by City Council members last Wednesday, defending the NYPD against accusations of racism, specifically surrounding the shooting of Sean Bell, 23. The hearing is the first of three that will investigate NYPD operations and procedures, and this one focused specifically on undercover tactics. Kelly said, “Officers are stopping those they reasonably suspect of committing a crime, based on descriptions and circumstances, and not on personal bias.” Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), a former Black Panther, wasn’t buying it and suggested that Kelly resign. Joseph Guzman, 31, one of Bell’s friends also shot that night, called Bell’s death murder. Kelly told council members that the department would conduct an external review (by the RAND Corp.) of firearms training practices. Meanwhile, the union urged the department to increase the maximum pay for officers. Kelly told the City Council that the NYPD’s measly salary for rookie cops is “bizarre.” Perhaps, but the request is truly bad timing. Kelly blames the low starting pay for the city’s difficulty increasing the number of officers in the department. Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said that the NYPD was having trouble holding onto their officers, let alone recruiting new candidates, as he argued to have the maximum base pay increased from $59,588.