Bill Bratton Chosen By DeBlasio To Be NYPD Commissioner [UPDATED]

Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio today announced his appointment of William J. Bratton to serve as New York City’s next Police Commissioner.

In selecting Bratton to lead the New York Police Department, de Blasio emphasized his commitment to proactive policing to protect New Yorkers, while simultaneously respecting their civil liberties. The Mayor-Elect charged Bratton with using the best technology and tactics to deepen New York City’s historic gains in public safety, to continue innovating approaches that protect New Yorkers from terrorism, and to bring police and communities closer together by ending the overuse and misuse of stop-and-frisk.

Bratton returns to the NYPD as one of the most accomplished and effective law enforcement officials in the nation, having pioneered the CompStat system and community policing strategies as former NYPD Commissioner. He is credited with the largest crime reduction in New York City’s history. 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.

“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. Together, we are going to preserve and deepen the historic gains we’ve made in public safety—gains Bill Bratton helped make possible. And we will do it by rejecting the false choice between keeping New Yorkers safe and protecting their civil rights. This is an Administration that will do both,” said Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio.

“Mayor-Elect de Blasio’s priorities are my priorities. This is the best police force in the nation, and we are going to ensure our men and women have the best technology, the most innovative tactics and the strong support of the communities they protect,” said incoming Police Commissioner William J. Bratton. “This department will not rest on its laurels. We are going to continue making history as the safest big city in America.”

“During my term as mayor of Los Angeles, we faced some of the most challenging criminal justice issues anywhere in America. Bill Bratton believes in constitutional community policing. He helped transform the LAPD’s relationship with the community it serves while bringing crime down to historic lows,” said former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “He’ll be an effective and innovative police commissioner, and I know his mantra will be ‘treat all New Yorkers with respect.’”

“William Bratton is a strong choice for New York Police Commissioner,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. “I believe he will help build relationships between our city’s diverse communities and the police force, while making all our neighborhoods safer.”

“I’ve known Bill Bratton for more than a decade — he is one of the most knowledgeable and effective people in American law enforcement, and the right choice for New York City Police Commissioner,” said New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “As a leading national architect of community policing, he understands that partnerships, problem-solving and prevention are instrumental in driving down crime. His development of CompStat was a revolutionary innovation that changed the face of policing and made us all safer. And New Yorkers can be confident that Commissioner Bratton will continue the critical work of guarding against terrorist threats to our city. People in every community in New York City will be well-served with Bill Bratton at the helm of the NYPD.”

“Commissioner Bratton is a wise choice to head the NYPD at this important moment for New York. His vast experience and commitment to working with communities to improve safety will allow the de Blasio administration to attack persistent crime challenges head-on while maintaining success where progress has been made,” said Brooklyn Borough President-Elect Eric Adams. “I look forward to working with him in Brooklyn, and helping him include the valuable knowledge of anti-violence and community groups on the ground to make our streets safer.”

“The most effective community policing is based on mutual respect between the police department and the people they serve. The hallmark of Bill Bratton’s approach has been the creation of strong and meaningful relations with the community while reducing crime,” said Director of the National Network for Safe Communities and the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice David Kennedy. “He is a superlative choice for the role of police commissioner of New York City.”

“Bill Bratton understands that the best way to keep our streets even safer is to make sure the police and community are working together to reduce crime. As he has done throughout his career, Bratton will ensure that police tactic are deployed with respect, consistently, without bias and within constitutional guidelines,” said President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, former Director of National Institute of Justice and former Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters of NYPD Jeremy Travis. “The bottom line is that Bill Bratton owns a proven track record of driving down crime by working with the community. This is precisely the type of leadership New York City needs from its Police Commissioner.”

About William J. Bratton:

William J. Bratton is one of America’s premier police chiefs, a strong advocate of community policing and the only person to have led some of the largest police forces in the United States, including the New York City and Los Angeles Police Departments.

Bratton has twice served as President of the Police Executive Research Forum and in 2009 served as President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. As Chief of the New York City Transit Police, Boston Police Commissioner, New York City Police Commissioner and Chief of the LAPD, Bratton revitalized police morale and cut crime significantly in all four posts. In New York, he led the development and deployment of CompStat, the command and accountability system which has revolutionized policing all over the world. CompStat employs accurate, real-time intelligence, rapid deployment of resources and relentless follow-up and accountability systems to focus the work of police on stopping crimes before they happen.

In Los Angeles, in addition to significantly driving down crime, he is credited with improving the LAPD’s relationships with the city’s many diverse communities. While at the LAPD he also led the creation of its Real Time and Predictive Policing initiatives.

A frequent lecturer, writer and commentator in the fields of security, counterterrorism, law enforcement and rule of law justice systems, Bratton is Vice Chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, whose members provide advice and recommendations on a variety of homeland security issues to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, Bratton began his police career in 1970 as an officer with the Boston Police Department. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston State College and is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute and the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Bratton Group LLC. Working with a comprehensive cadre of professional associates and companies, Bratton provides a wide range of collaborative consulting, leadership, management and public safety networking services to both the public and the private sector in the United States and abroad.

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