New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Rudy Giuliani were the George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin of the Big Apple. The commissioner loved television cameras and the spotlight as much as, if not more than Giuliani.
The business world credited Bratton, not Giuliani, for making New York City safer.
Giuliani deserves credit though. After all, he hired Bratton, who then hired John Timoney, Jack Maple, Louis Anemone and the rest of the dream team.
When Bratton left New York, he planned to retire, but instead he came to the West Coast.
Bratton was born in Boston in 1947. After high school he served in the Military Police during the Vietnam War. He went back to Boston in 1970 and began his career where he quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant in the Boston Police Department. At 32, he was named the youngest-ever executive superintendent of the Boston Police, the department”s second highest post. Later he was assigned to the position of inspector of bureaus, a liaison with minority and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) communities. He was brought back into police headquarters to handle labor relations and 9-1-1 related issues.
Between 1983 and 1986 he was Chief of Police for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. In 1990, he was appointed Chief of Police of the New York City Transit Police. Bratton was Superintendent in Chief of the Boston Police Department from 1991 until 1993, then he became that city”s 34th Police Commissioner. He holds the Department”s highest award for valor.
On Sept. 11 this year he was awarded with the honorary title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Even though in 2007 the LA Police Commission re-appointed Police Chief Bratton to a second five-year term, Bratton announced this year, effective on Oct. 31, he was resigning his position as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Bratton knew how to pool resources. He was known for collaborating with priests and civic leaders in high-crime communities to make those communities safe for citizens. He came to LAPD as chief in 2002. Violent crime dropped dramatically.
According to statistics compiled in 2008 from the Los Angeles Police Department, all together violent crime dropped by 49 percent. Additionally, in Bratton”s seven-year reign, homicides dropped by 42 percent; forcible rape dropped 44 percent; robbery dropped 22 percent and aggravated assault dropped 63 percent. When it was all said and done, Los Angeles crime rates plummeted to rates of the 1950s.
Amazing what one person is capable of achieving. Who knew that this Boston boy would grow up to raise the bar of excellence so high, set the standard for police work and exemplify impeccable management in law enforcement. In his thick East Coast vernacular, he credits all the players who contribute to safety in each community. He accentuates the need for cohesion and communication. “The best way to work is in partnership,” he said in an interview. “There”s not a police solution to this problem.” What he meant is that it takes an entire community to bring on change. He struck a balance by bringing community policing to the forefront by sharing intelligence and information.
Bratton said that by making a community safer, businesses will invest in that community. It creates jobs.
“The cause of crime is the people committing crime,” he said. “I think that we had it backwards.” He said the cause of crime is not the economy, racism and poverty, but that those are phenomenal influences.
Wherever Bratton went he brought safety with him. His philosophies reached from coast-to-coast. He”s still pretty young to retire at 62. His commitment to safety is one that should serve police organizations by following his incredible example.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee news editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or call her directly at 263-5636 ext.32
