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LAPD Chief Bratton delivers emotional speech to new officers: 'I envy you'
LAPD Chief Bill Bratton speaks at one of the many events marking his departure. Bratton leaves as head of the department on October 31st to take a job with a global security firm in New York.
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Celeste Freemon/Witness L.A.
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LAPD Chief Bratton delivers emotional speech to new officers: 'I envy you'
Audio of Chief Bratton's speech
Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton Friday delivered an emotional speech at graduation ceremonies for the department's newest class of officers. Bratton leaves the LAPD at the end of the month.
Bratton stood before 60 new officers at the Police Academy tucked in Elysian Park just north of downtown. The 62-year-old chief recalled growing up watching the TV shows that made the LAPD famous.
"Those two shows – Dragnet and one, Adam-12, and many others that depicted the Los Angeles Police Department at its best – influenced me greatly."
Bratton, who was born in Boston, said he'd always wanted to wear the LAPD badge.
He told the department's newest officers to always honor it, and to serve the city well. And he said he envied them.
"In closing, I wish I were you. I wish I could start once again. I wish I could be sitting where you are. The 39 years have gone by like that. And boy would I like to start them all over again."
For almost four decades, Bratton worked in and led police departments in Boston, New York, and L.A.
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He leaves law enforcement at the end of this month to work at a global security firm in New York.
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