Police commissioner Dermot Shea said he was "dumbfounded" by State Attorney General Letitia James' suggestion last week that the NYPD stop doing routine traffic enforcement to avoid situations where things escalate and potentially turn deadly. 

“What would the mothers of drunk drivers say to that? What would the mothers in Brooklyn that are losing family members to gun violence in drive-by shootings say to that?” asked She during an exclusive interview with NY1.

He said the idea would put the state police and the NYPD highway patrol "out of business." 

“That is a basic part of public safety,” Shea added.

The police commissioner said the suggestion wrongly puts blame on the NYPD.

“I think it’s a knee-jerk reaction. And some of what we see too often. Trying to put blame anywhere but where it belongs — and that’s on people that are committing crimes that are not being held accountable for their own actions. And it’s far too easy to blame the police for things,” he said.

Shea joined “Mornings On 1” Tuesday morning.