Giuliani Police Commissioner Seeks 2nd Term
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Mayor Giuliani’s first police commissioner, William Bratton, met the press yesterday after announcing that he will seek a second term as commissioner of the Los Angeles Police Department, police officials in Los Angeles said.
Mr. Bratton, who served as New York City police commissioner between 1994 and 1996 before leaving the post because of alleged personal disputes with Mr. Giuliani, is seeking another five-year term at the Los Angeles department, where he is paid an annual salary of $300,442.
In a showing of support for the commissioner’s decision, the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, said in a statement on Monday: “I believe Bill Bratton is the finest police chief in America — and we have the numbers to prove it.”
Even as crime has dropped by 25% in Los Angeles under Mr. Bratton’s watch, critics point to a spike in gang crimes, which rose by 15.7% last year.
Mr. Bratton, who was appointed as the police commissioner of Los Angeles in 2002, is often credited with helping drive down crime in New York during the 1990s.
