Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4028 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: NOVEMBER 2016 by Cynthia Brown L ast month, William J. Bratton left the NYPD and the law enforcement profes- sion. His accomplishments have been extraordinary and have changed the police world forever. It was his idea that com- manders should be respon- sible for preventing crime as opposed to just respond- ing to it, a novel approach known as COMPSTAT that is now accepted as a Bratton’s impact changed Bratton’s impact changed the face of the face of law enforcement law enforcement I think continually of those who were truly great. The names of those who in their lives fought for life. Who wore at their hearts the fire’s center. Born of the sun they traveled a short while towards the sun, and left the vivid air signed with their honor. – Stephen Spender best practice in every one of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the country. He was the first one to figure out, back in the mid- 1970’s as a young lieutenant in the Boston Police Depart- ment, that gathering detailed data on where the crimes were occurring and then assigning officers to patrol those “hot spots” would be the most effective way to arrest the people committing the crimes and better protect those neighborhoods. One of his most difficult leadership tasks and biggest success stories occurred when he was named chief of the Los Angeles Police Department in 2002. The challenge was enor- mous – turning around an agency that had reached the depths of dysfunction and despair. It took several difficult years – but he pulled it off. Today the LAPD is widely considered one of the top law enforcement agencies in the country. His achievements during his second stint at the helm of the NYPD are already the stuff of legend. Whether it was transforming training to adapt to the crises of the last few years, getting better equipment, utilizing online technology and social me- dia, or improving relations with the media, Bill Bratton had vision and his well-lead team stayed focused and performed. I have known Bill for over 40 years. We met when he was a lieutenant in the Boston Police Department when we were both in our 20’s. Along with the regular responsibilities of a lieuten- ant in one of the busiest districts in the city, Bill had been put in charge of one of the first community policing programs in the country. I had a part-time job working in that program. Back in the day attitudes were much different than they are today. When it came to gay people, most law enforcement agencies were arresting gay peo- ple rather than protecting them. When assaults started oc- curring on a regular basis against patrons outside the city’s two gay bars, Bill was worried officers were not taking these crimes seri- ously. He understood instinc- tively that he needed to do something to break down the barriers on both sides. But what? Without having a clue whether it would work, he organized a series of soft- ball games with the cops on American Police Beat publisher Cynthia Brown, right, with Bill Bratton at last year’s IACP Convention. It was Bill’s idea to start a magazine like APB that would cover the news relevant to all ranks and assignments and bring the profession closer together. Continued on next page www.desantisholster.com 800-GUNHIDE 631-841-6300 Dept #APN6 431 Bayview Ave., Amityville, NY 11701 MSRP Style M67 3999 $ • Sturdy, lightweight & trim • Precision molded from ballistic nylon • Features an adjustable tension device Nylon Mini Scabbard® DeSantis didn’t invent concealment, we just perfected it!