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 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: NOVEMBER 2016 29 one team and members of the gay community on the other. Those ball games were a huge success. Barri- ers eroded, an undercover operation was implemented and the cops began arrest- ing the people who were preying on these innocent citizens. One of the first things I noticed in that police sta- tion so many years ago were Bill’s leadership skills. He instinctively knew how to empower people, how to make them feel important, and how to motivate them to work harder, better and smarter. I have marveled at his ability to lift the most de- pressed and alienated work forces up out of their mal- aise and get them fired up about the mission. With Bill Bratton running the show, you knew you were a key part of a team working together towards an important goal. He was generous with praise and always remem- bered to give credit to the people who had done the work. It was empowering and exciting. He made it fun to go to work. Recently retired New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Bill Bratton shares a pat with one of the Department’s K9s. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images) I traveled to Los Angeles when Bill became chief of the LAPD. When I arrived for the ceremony at the Police Academy, he and his wife Rikki were shaking the hands of all the gardeners, thanking them for their hard work making the grounds look so beautiful. The big smiles on the faces of those groundskee- pers said it all about how important this simple ges- ture of thanks was for those employees. It’s rare that one person can embody so many re- markable traits, but that’s Bill Bratton. For 47 years he worked hard to make our country a better, safer, more tolerant place. For all the people who have reaped the benefits of a better trained, more diverse and professional police force, and for those of us who had the privilege of working with him, we are all in his debt. Cynthia Brown is the pub- lisher of American Police Beat and the author of Brave Hearts: Extraordinary Stories of Pride, Pain and Courage. Career Highlights Served in the Military Police Corps of the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Promoted to sergeant in the Boston Police Department in July 1975; to lieutenant in March 1978; and in 1980 became the youngest-ever Executive Superintendent. Became Chief of the New York City Transit Police in 1990. Served as Superintendent of Boston’s Metropolitan Dis- trict Commission Police, 1992-1993. Became Commissioner of the Boston PD in 1992. Served as Commissioner of the NYPD from 1994-1996 and again from 2014-2016. Spent eight years as Chief of Police of the LAPD between 2002-2010. Won the Boston PD’s highest award for valor. Received honorary title of Commander of the Most Excel- lent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his work to promote cooperation between US and UK police throughout his distinguished career. History will take note History will take note of W of William J. illiam J. Bratton Bratton