Who will be the next New York City police commissioner? The New York Times says that so far, much of the attention has focused on former commissioner William Bratton, who leading mayoral contender Bill de Blasio praises for reducing crime in Los Angeles “without the unconstitutional use of stop-and-frisk.” De Blasio has met with Bratton to discuss policing several times since 2012, but de Blasio has also mentioned Philip Banks III, the Police Department's top chief, and public safety experts said the field of potential candidates was far larger.
De Blasio may look outside the Police Department to former New York policing luminaries in Chicago or at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — or choose from among its current crop of top officials, which includes a high-ranking female chief and a Hispanic first deputy commissioner. If the next mayor were to look outside of New York City and beyond Bratton, he would most likely consider Garry McCarthy, who leads the Chicago Police Department.”For a change-oriented mayor, there's a benefit to bringing in somebody from the outside,” said Jeremy Travis, the president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who has discussed policing policy with de Blasio. “The next police commissioner faces two equally compelling imperatives: first to continue to bring crime down, and second to help the city navigate its way out of the current conundrum about the stop-and-frisk tactics.”