Former LAPD, NYPD Chief Bill Bratton On His New Book And The History Of American Policing

HAMPTON BAYS, NY - FEBRUARY 20: Former New York City Police Commissioner William 'Bill' Bratton exits the church following the funeral service of fallen NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen at the Church of St. Rosalie, February 20, 2019 in Hampton Bays, New York. Thousands of area police officers and law enforcement personnel attended the funeral. Simonsen was killed by friendly fire while responding with fellow NYPD officers to a robbery at a store in Queens last week. Simonsen is survived by his wife and mother and will be interned at Jamesport Cemetery in nearby Riverhead, New York. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In former LAPD chief Bill Bratton’s new book, he examines the past five decades of policing in the United States, as well as his own place in the institution.

After George Floyd’s murder by police last year and the subsequent protests that erupted throughout the country, American policing is under increasing scrutiny. After Bratton’s years in police departments around the country, he believes that the path forward is through further reforms and improvements to policing.

Today on AirTalk, we’re talking with Bill Bratton about his new book. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Bill Bratton, has served as chief of the LAPD, chief of the New York City Transit Police, and commissioner of the Boston Police Department and the New York City Police Department. He is the author of the new book, “The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America” (Penguin Random House, 2021)