We are second to none in our admira tion of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly — a fine public servant and a credit to the NYPD. But in sitting down with racial-grievance monger Al Sharpton to discuss the city's new subway search policy this week, the commissioner erred.

Sharpton complained to Kelly after (he says) he received about 20 complaints that cops checking bags outside subway stations were "targeting" Latinos, mistaking them for Arabs.

Now, this is odd.

First of all, just how would any given citizen know that he or she was being "profiled"? Because a bag was searched?

Well, thousands of bags have been searched.

And, if there's a problem with profiling, why would the Latino community be the first to feel it? Even if some Latinos were being mistaken for Arabs, wouldn't actual Arabs be the first to notice?

The point, however, is that nothing instigated by Al Sharpton is about anything other than Al Sharpton. Normally, his views have scant intrinsic meaning.

But these aren't normal times.

Kelly reportedly reiterated the city's commitment not to engage in racial profiling in his meeting with Sharpton.

Beyond that, however, the NYPD shouldn't be making promises to anyone about how it will run its searches.

The last thing New Yorkers need is for security policies to become another opportunity for the city's race hustlers to score cheap political points.

"Some of us are prepared to deal with some intrusions," Sharpton said after the meeting. "But those intrusions should be fair and equitable."

Says who?

Says Al?

What does he know about fair and equitable?

It's a shame if security concerns have intruded on the Rev's usual line of work, but he'll just have to learn to live with it.