New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton announced on Tuesday that he will resign in September.
Bratton, 68, will be replaced by Chief of Department James O’Neill. Bratton is set to return to the private sector after he became police commissioner in January 2014.
Bratton told Mayor Bill de Blasio of his decision last week. Candidates had been interviewed to replace Bratton for the remaining 16 months of de Blasio’s mayoral term before O’Neill was picked.
Bratton will remain on the job until September to help O’Neill’s transition to police commissioner.
“I don’t think anyone could’ve imagined a more productive 31 months. We will never forget or fail to honor the achievements of Bill Bratton,” de Blasio said at a news conference Tuesday.
“Jimmy is the real thing in every way,” the mayor said of O’Neill. “As the architect of our neighborhood policing program, Jimmy O’Neill has built a national model for bringing police and the community together to fight crime. As the top-ranking uniformed member of the NYPD, Jimmy has spent each day ensuring that New York City remains the safest big city in America.”
Bratton, a Massachusetts native, did not offer insight into his new private sector job, but called himself a “proud adopted son” of New York City.
