http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/nyregion/with-ceremony-william-bratton-bows-out-as-police-commissioner-in-new-york.html 2016-09-17 00:17:12 With Ceremony, William Bratton Bows Out as Police Commissioner in New York Mr. Bratton was among the most influential figures in American policing for more than four decades, leading departments in Los Angeles, Boston and New York. === Marking his final day as New York City police commissioner, The officers, assembled in their dress uniforms for the Police Department’s traditional send-off, known as a walkout, were joined by a host of other well-wishers, among them Mayor The event signaled the end of Mr. Bratton’s second stint running the department, and a changing of the guard for the nation’s largest municipal police force. It also was the conclusion of a law enforcement career spanning more than four decades, during which Mr. Bratton led agencies in Los Angeles and Boston, in the process becoming one of the most influential figures in American policing. Recruited to return to New York after Mr. de Blasio was elected mayor in 2013, Mr. Bratton boasted of continued efforts to drive down crime, as New York became a far safer city than it was when he first took over the Police Department, in 1994. But the past few years have also been distinguished by the tensions playing out between minority communities and law enforcement across the country. That turmoil flared up in New York less than a year after Mr. Bratton’s return, when Months later, two police officers “Those months have not been free from tragedy,” Mr. Bratton wrote in his resignation letter to Mr. de Blasio, recounting his experiences as commissioner and noting the five officers who died in the line of duty. “We faced crisis and challenge, most notably the great unrest during the winter of 2014/2015. Our officers’ restrained management of those protests showed the nation what a professional police department can do.” Mr. Bratton, 68, In his letter to the mayor, and during events in recent days, Mr. Bratton has noted the recent accomplishments of the Police Department: the new units that have been created to face terrorism, the new technology being deployed, and a new neighborhood policing model designed to help reduce the unfamiliarity between officers and residents of some neighborhoods. He has also maintained a numbers-driven approach to monitoring and pushing down crime. On Thursday morning, Mr. Bratton went to his final CompStat meeting, where police commanders from around the city huddle around long tables amid thick binders filled with statistics. He recounted how, when he first became commissioner, there were only two statistics the department tracked day to day: robberies and red-light enforcement. “I leave with great satisfaction, knowing, as I continue to live in the city, I’ll be living in the safest large city in America,” he told them. His departure on Friday was notably different from that after his first stint as commissioner, which came to