In a surprise announcement, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said Wednesday he will step down after a seven-year tenure. Bratton instituted major reforms of the once-scandalized police department.
Bratton, who was also credited with sharply cutting crime as New York City police commissioner, announced he would resign from his post in October, with three years left in his second term.
“For me personally and professionally it is the right time,” Bratton, 61, told a City Hall news conference where he revealed he will begin working with a global security firm.
Noted as the only top cop to serve as head of both the Los Angeles and New York police departments, Bratton was outspoken on the false alarm issue and a strong proponent of verified response. In 2006, SSI featured an in-depth interview with Bratton during which he discussed his advocacy for police using electronic security systems, particularly video surveillance.
Bratton’s resignation will be effective Oct. 31. He will then join Altegrity Inc. of Falls Church, Va., focusing on bringing professional policing to emerging nations.
His decision to resign came just weeks after a judge released the department from eight years of oversight by the U.S. Department of Justice, which had alleged a long pattern of abuse.
Bratton was picked to lead the LAPD in 2002 after heading police forces in New York City and Boston. At the time, Los Angeles police were still struggling to emerge from under the clouds of the 1991 Rodney King beating and the Rampart police corruption scandal later in the decade.
