New York Daily News – by Rocco Parascandola , Erin Durkin AND Larry Mcshane
Former New York top cop William Bratton, bounced from One Police Plaza in 1996, is returning as the city’s new police commissioner.
Bratton, 66, was announced Thursday as the new commissioner at the Red Hook Justice Community Center by incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Bill Bratton is a proven crime-fighter,” de Blasio said of his new commissioner. “He knows what it takes to keep a city safe, and make communities full partners in the mission.”
De Blasio said he and Bratton “will preserve and deepen the historic gains we’ve made in public safety” while protecting the civil rights of the city’s 8 million citizens.
William Bratton was the cover of magazine in January 1996 with a headline about his New York success: ‘Finally we’re winning the war against crime. Here’s why.’
“This is an administration that will do both,” he said.
This marks the second time that Bratton will succeed departing Commissioner Raymond Kelly as head of the nation’s largest police force.
The newly named NYPD chief cited three goals: Keeping the crime rates low, working with other agencies to combat terrorism, and creating a “mutual respect and trust” between police and New Yorkers.
Bratton, in a shot at his predecessor, said he would repair the sometime rocky relationship between the NYPD and all the city’s communities.
WABC
‘Bill Bratton is a proven crime-fighter,’ Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio said Thursday of his new commissioner (above).
“That can happen and it will happen in New York City,” he said. “That is my commitment to this mayor. I love this profession, and I love this city.”
During Bratton’s first NYPD tour, felony crime in New York dropped 39%. The incoming commissioner enjoyed similar success during his run atop the Los Angeles police.
While De Blasio campaigned against the NYPD’s use of stop and frisk, Bratton expanded use of the controversial policing policy when he headed the Los Angeles Police Department from 2002 to 2009.
But in 2008, his last full year there, 30% of the stops resulted in an arrest. Under Kelly, only about 6% of all stops resulted in an arrest, sparking criticism that the NYPD was engaged in racial profiling and stopping people without justification.
JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
William Bratton (above) served previously as NYPD commissioner from 1994 to 1996 under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
The NYPD has denied that it profiled and said that its tactics reduced crime.
Bratton, the only person ever to run the Los Angeles and New York departments, has said stop and frisk is an effective tactic if used properly.
“We look forward to working with the new mayor and police commissioner to ensure that fundamental changes are made to the NYPD,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
WABC
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announces he has chosen as top cop Bill Bratton, who first became in awe of the New York department when he read the book ‘Your Police’ at age 9.
Bratton first served as NYPD commissioner from 1994 to 1996 under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The Rev. Al Sharpton recalled the two had a prickly relationship back then.
The civil rights leader said he spoke Thursday morning with Bratton about his new job.
“Mr. Bratton knows of my concerns and the concerns of others about racial profiling in stop and frisk policing but at the same time is aware of our desire to continue the decrease of violence and crime in our community,” Sharpton said.
The Bratton regime was widely hailed for the introduction of CompStat, the computerized crime tracking system that helped reverse the city’s crime rate.
Bill Bratton, who has served as police commissioner in Boston, New York and Los Angeles wrote a book titled ‘The Turnaround: How America’s Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic.’
But his reign atop the NYPD ended when Giuliani, upset that Bratton was getting too much credit for the city’s drop in crime, sent the commissioner packing. Bratton was forced to resign after 27 months on the job.
The final blow came when Bratton made the cover of Time magazine in January 1996 for a story on his Big Apple success.
“Finally we’re winning the war against crime,” the front page headline read. “Here’s why.”
Bratton, a Vietnam veteran, began his police career in 1970 an an officer with the Boston police. Within a decade, Bratton completed a stunning rise through the ranks and became BPD superintendent.
He first came to New York as head of the old Transit Police department in 1990-91.
Bratton is in demand as a law enforcement lecturer and commentator, and penned an autobiography: “The Turnaround: How America’s Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic.”
rparascandola@nydailynews.com
This can’t be good.
(understatement)
Yes, what a big “change.”