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Bill Bratton    

Former Police Commissioner of New York City

William "Bill" Bratton CBE is an American law enforcement officer. Effective as of January 1, 2014, he served as the New York City Police Commissioner, the second time he has held that position. He has previously served as the Commissioner of the Boston Police Department (BPD) (1993-1994), New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner (1994–1996) and Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) (2002-2009).

Bratton began his police career at Boston Police Department before becoming Police Commissioner in New York City, where his zero-tolerance policy has been credited with reducing petty and violent crime. He moved to Los Angeles Police Department in 2002 reforming the police after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and crime was reduced.

Bratton's policing style is influenced by the broken windows theory that if minor, petty crime is not dealt with, crime will increase. He advocates having an ethnically diverse police force representative of the population, maintaining a strong relationship with the law-abiding population, tackling police corruption, being tough on gangs and having a strict no-tolerance of anti-social behavior.

Bratton was approached by British Prime Minister David Cameron to become the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner in July 2011, but this was blocked by the Home Office on the grounds the Commissioner must be a British national with experience of English law. Bratton instead was offered an adviser role to the British government, which he accepted in August 2011.

On December 5, 2013 New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announced that Bratton will return to the post of Police Commissioner in New York City.

News


William Bratton named NYPD commissioner by Mayor-elect Bill de ...
Promising old-school policing with new-age enlightenment, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio on Thursday brought Bill Bratton back as NYPD commissioner 20 years ...

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