Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD Reboot? Bill Bratton Wants To Be Commish Again
By
Garth Johnston
Published Aug 14, 2012
Modified Aug 14, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Aug 14, 2012
Modified Aug 14, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
With a mayoral election just around the corner an open question remains: what will happen to the NYPD? Will teflon Ray Kelly stick around as top cop? Or will somebody else step into his shoes? Well, if the 70-year-old Kelly does decide to step down (FBI, anyone?) an old favorite is interested in coming back into the fold. Yep, Bill Bratton is publicly saying he is interested in the job of NYPD Commissioner. Again.
The 64-year-old Bratton, who last made headlines here for his special parking pass, has reportedly been making the rounds of prospective mayoral candidates including Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and media executive Tom Allon to talk about the job (still hasn't talked to John Liu or Christine Quinn, though). And when the Wall Street Journal asked him point blank about coming back, Bratton told them: "I'll be quite frank, if that position were to be offered, I'd have to seriously consider it. I fully intend, at some point in time, to return to the public sector."
Since his famous "broken windows" two-year stint as Commissioner under Mayor Giuliani (he was forced out due to issues of who deserved the credit for the city's drop in crime) Bratton has not exactly kept a low profile. He has served as top cop in LA and Boston and was considered for the top job at no less a police force than Scotland Yard. And while serving as chairman of Kroll, an international intelligence and information management company, he has certainly kept an interest in the NYPD.
Of course, not everybody is jumping for joy at going back to an old name for the job—which some candidates, like City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, are actively hoping the position will remain filled by Kelly. Eugene O'Donnell, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told the Journal that while Bratton is a "giant" in the law-enforcement community and someone "admired" by rank-and-file officers maybe it is time for a "fresh set of eyes" to come aboard. "No knock on Kelly, no knock on Bratton," he said, "but there's more than a couple of people who can run the police department and run it well."
Tagged
Bill Bratton
Election 2013
nypd
police commissioner
Ray Kelly
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
The mayor said his administration would review ICE and NYPD actions surrounding Thursday’s shooting.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 11, 2026
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
For a Democrat in a traditionally red NJ district, how to woo Republican voters
By
Mike Hayes
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .