>> WHILE MUCH OF THE
PRESIDENTS AGENDA REMAINS
STALLED IN CONGRESS, SEE
PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS TONIGHT,
NBC NEWS REPORTS PROGRESS IS
BEING MADE ON POLICE REFORM.
ACCORDING TO CONGRESSIONAL
SOURCE A DRAFT TEXT OF POLICE
REFORM BILL IN NAME OF GEORGE
FLOYD IS BEING CIRCULATED TO
LAWMAKERS, A POSITIVE SIGN THAT
TALKS ARE MOVING FORWARD.
BACK WITH US AGAIN TONIGHT, BILL
BRATTON, FORMER COMMISSIONER OF
THE NYPD, VETERAN OF THE BOSTON
POLICE DEPARTMENT, FORMER CHIEF
OF POLICE IN LOS ANGELES.
NEW BOOK IS CALLED "THE
PROFESSION:A MEMOIR OF
COMMUNITY, RACE AND THE ARC OF
POLICING IN AMERICA," ITS GREAT
TO HAVE YOU BACK ON THE
BROADCAST.
START HERE.
WHAT SHOULD BE IN ANY BILL WITH
THE LABEL POLICE REFORM OTHER
THAN THREE ITEMS -- TRAINING,
TRAINING AND TRAINING?
HOW ABOUT BODY CAMS FOR ALL AND
MORE TRAINING WHILE WERE AT IT?
>> SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.
LOVE TO SEE THAT, LIKE TO SEE
FUNDING FOR IT.
DEVIL AS ALWAYS IN THE DETAILS.
BODY CAMS THEY THINK OF BRINGING
FEDERAL AGENCIES INTO THAT
PICTURE.
RIGHT NOW PRESSURE OR FOCUS IS
LARGELY ON MUNICIPAL, STATE BUT
WE NEED TO ENCOMPASS FEDERAL
AGENCIES INTO THAT PLAN.
>> LETS TALK ABOUT POLICE
ACADEMIES, THE AMERICAN FAMILIES
WHO HAVE BECOME BECAUSE A BUNCH
OF OTHER PEOPLE DONT WANT TO DO
THE JOB A PERMANENT WARRIOR
CLASS, A PERMANENT POLICE CLASS.
HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE DYNAMIC,
THE LOOK, THE FEEL, THE
BACKGROUND OF THOSE WHO ARE
WILLING TO SIT DOWN, TAKE THE
TEST, ENTER THE ACADEMY, AND TRY
TO CHANGE AN ORGANIZATION, A
CULTURE, FROM WITHIN?
>> WELL THE GOAL AS WE KNOW IS
TO REGAIN TRUST WHERE WE LOST
IT, IMPROVE IT WHERE WE STILL
HAVE IT.
REQUIRES LEADERSHIP POLITICALLY
AND IN AMERICAN POLICING.
MOST IMPORTANTLY ITS GOING TO
REQUIRE REFOCUSING ON HOW WE
SELECT OUR PERSONNEL, TRAIN
THEM, MONITOR THEM, SUPERVISE
THEM.
IDEA OF TRANSPARENCY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY.
TRAINING, I HAD EIGHT WEEKS IN
1970.
I WAS OUT IN THE STREET IN
UNIFORM WITH A GUN AND BADGE.
AVERAGE POLICE OFFICER TODAY IS
FOUR TO SIX MONTHS, NOWHERE NEAR
ENOUGH FOR THE COMPLEXITIES OF
AMERICAN POLICING TODAY.
NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE INITIAL
TRAINING AND THROUGHOUT CAREER,
PULLING THEM IN THREE, FOUR
WEEKS A YEAR TO KEEP UP AND
IMPROVE SKILLS.
BUSINESS IS ALWAYS CHANGING AND
INFORMING.
>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, TO DO SO
IM GOING TO QUOTE FROM YOUR
BOOK.
GEORGE FLOYDS MURDER, AND IT
WAS 100% A MURDER, WAS ONE OF
THE WORST THINGS I HAVE EVER
SEEN DONE TO A PERSON BY A
POLICE OFFICER.
I AM BY NATURE AN OPTIMIST, BUT
THIS THREW ME.
I SPENT A SIGNIFICANT PART OF
THE YEAR NOT KNOWING HOW TO
DEFEND MY PROFESSION.
I IMAGINE COMMISSIONER, YOU HAVE
A LOT OF COMPANY IN THAT LAST
SENTENCE.
WHAT DID IT CHANGE IN YOU, NOW
THAT WEVE HAD A CONVICTION, NOW
THAT AMERICANS SEEM TO AGREE
WHAT WE SAW WAS A STONE COLD
MURDER, A MANS LIFE TAKEN FROM
HIM IN THE STREET AS WE WATCHED
AND SOME PEOPLE HAD THE PRESENCE
OF MIND TO RECORD IT SO THE
WORLD COULD SEE IT.
WHAT CHANGED IN YOU?
>> WELL, ONE, I NEVER EXPECTED
TO WATCH A SLOW MOTION MURDER BY
A POLICE OFFICER.
AND THATS WHAT IT WAS, MURDER
IN SLOW MOTION BY A UNIFORMED
POLICE OFFICER.
YOU HAVE SEEN AS I HAVE THROUGH
MY YEARS IN THE BUSINESS,
COUNTLESS SCENES OF POLICE
ACTION THATS USUALLY FAST,
VERY, VERY QUICK.
THIS WAS SLOW, DELIBERATE,
CALLOUS.
NOBODY IN POLICING OR I BELIEVE
IN THE GENERAL POPULATION
BELIEVED WHAT THEY WERE SEEING.
HE CAUSED SO MUCH DAMAGE TO THE
TRUST THAT POLICE HAD.
POLICE USUALLY POLL HIGHER THAN
JUST ABOUT ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY
AMONG THE PUBLIC.
BUT THAT ACTION ON THIS DAY SET
US BACK YEARS AND ITS GOING TO