New York City’s Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has appointed Bill Bratton to serve as the city’s next police commissioner.
Bratton previously served as commissioner of the New York Police Department under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the mid-1990s. He has also led the Los Angeles and Boston police departments. He’s a native of the Boston area.
“He is credited with the largest crime reduction in New York City’s history,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Under his leadership in the mid-1990s, felony crime in New York City fell by 39 percent. He proved to be as effective in Los Angeles, where violent crime declined by 26 percent during his first three years as Chief of Police. By 2009, the crime rate was 54 percent lower than it had been during his predecessor’s final year.
{mosads}Bratton, 66, will succeed outgoing commissioner Ray Kelly, who has served in his current role for 11 years — the longest a commissioner has served in the city’s history.
“Bill Bratton is a proven crime-fighter. He knows what it takes to keep a city safe, and make communities full partners in the mission,” de Blasio said.
Despite de Blasio’s calls during his campaign to end the city’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy, Bratton is a supporter of that initiative. In fact, he expanded the practice while he led the LAPD. He will have to balance de Blasio’s position with maintaining the city’s low crime rate.
His initial endorsements include Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Bratton has been running his own consulting firm, the Bratton Group, which focuses on public safety.