William (Bill) Bratton (CBE) has had a massive impact in global policing, having led two of the USA’s biggest police forces as part of his illustrious career: The New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Also a successful author and businessman, Bill is a controversial figure for some. But his ideas on policing, leadership and reducing crime are undoubtedly making a resurgence, not least here in the UK.
“Everything old is new again. Broken Windows Policing is coming back big time.” – Bill Bratton
In this podcast episode, I pay homage to some of these ideas, along with lessons learned on how he managed to turn around the performance of organisations by significantly changing the culture and thinking differently. I called it ‘Bratt to the Future’, not just because decades-old policing principles pioneered by Bill Bratton are making a resurgence today, but there’s lessons and insights for any aspiring leader aiming at career progression from policing today’s issues and leading others into the future.
I embed the episode below for premium subscribers; this is one worth the £4.99 subscription alone in terms of the leadership insights you’ll pick up. I will also follow up with a ‘Bratt to the Future – Part II’ in due course, so watch this space! (Update 30/06/25: Part 2 is out now, as episode 5.20!)
Bill Bratton: A Career Overview
Bill Bratton is one of the most influential figures in modern American policing, known for his leadership in major police departments and his role in shaping crime-fighting strategies.
Beginning his career as a Boston police officer in 1970, he quickly rose through the ranks, eventually leading the New York City Transit Police in 1990. In 1994, he became NYPD Commissioner, where he implemented CompStat, a revolutionary (and fairly ruthless!) ‘big bang’ data-driven performance system focused on crime tracking and hotspot policing.
His reorganisation of NYPD was cited as a template for good local governance, his tenure saw a significant drop in crime rates and shaped policing strategies for years after concerning what worked, and what didn’t.
Bratton later served as Chief of the LAPD from 2002 to 2009, where his cultural and structural overhaul of the force enacted a bold strategic move to transform an organisation afflicted by low morale, inefficiency and corruption.
In 2011, he was considered for the post of Met Police Commissioner. He returned to the NYPD as Commissioner in 2014, overseeing reforms and counterterrorism efforts. His approach, often associated with broken windows policing, emphasised tackling minor offences to prevent larger crimes, though it sparked debate over its impact on marginalised communities.
Beyond his leadership roles, Bratton has been a vocal advocate for police reform and accountability, arguing trust between law enforcement and communities is essential. His career reflects both the successes and controversies of modern policing, making him a central figure in discussions about crime prevention and police-community relations.
His legacy continues to shape law enforcement strategies across the world, not least through his three well-regarded books:
- The Turnaround: How America’s Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic (1998). A detailed account of his strategies in reducing crime.
- Collaborate or Perish! Reaching Across Boundaries in a Networked World (2012). Focuses on leadership and cooperation in complex environments.
- The Profession: A Memoir of Policing in America (2021). This is a deep dive into his career and the evolution of law enforcement.
Breaking Ground through Broken Windows
Aside from Compstat, Bill Bratton is probably most well-known for his association with the ‘Broken Windows Theory’. This was introduced by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in a 1982 article titled Broken Windows. In a nutshell, it posits that visible signs of disorder, even fairly low-level like vandalism, encourages further crime and antisocial behaviour. They argued addressing minor offences promptly prevents more serious crimes from occurring.
While Wilson and Kelling developed the theory, its application in policing, often called Broken Windows Policing, was championed in the 1990s by Bill Bratton as NYPD Commissioner (1994 to 1996). He implemented aggressive order-maintenance strategies based on the theory, believing that cracking down on minor infractions would lead to a broader reduction in crime.
“I am not a leader who kicks, beats and drags people along. I am someone who truly believes in inspirational leadership and motivational leadership and in trying to find ways to give people that opportunity to shine. At the same time, as a manager particularly in the police world, I understand the importance of accountability. We need to hold people accountable.” – Bill Bratton.
His innovative approach has been widely debated, with supporters crediting it for crime reductions and critics arguing it led to over-policing and disproportionate targeting of marginalised communities. Under his tenure however, New York City saw a dramatic crime drop; serious crime went down by 33% and the murder rate halved. Bratton’s methods remain a significant focus in discussions on law enforcement strategy and 30 years later are even making a resurgence.
Listen in for More…
The above is an overview of Bill Bratton’s career and influence on policing. But in this particular podcast, I encourage you to look ahead to your policing career, especially your approach to leading people, performance and changes over the next decade. You may also pick up on which timeless skills alluded to in Bratton’s approach (e.g. ‘data driven’ decision making) may be relevant to your own leadership development. You may even recognise in competencies from the CVF.
To give you a brief overview, here’s some key subjects I also cover in this wide-ranging episode:
- Broken Windows theory
- Innovation and optimism in tackling the doom and gloom in policing
- Leading and managing performance (including example interview question)
- Bill’s leadership style and philosophy on promotions
- One of Bill’s speeches as LAPD Commissioner that inspired me
- Leading change and changing culture, links to PEEL
- Leadership vs. management and the perspective of academics on Bill’s leadership
- The future of policing and innovative use of technology
Whether Bill Bratton’s particular approach inspires you or not, there’s much to go back to and learn from as you navigate through your own career progression. I hope you enjoy the episode. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any feedback. And if you want any support on your own leadership and promotion ambitions, I’m just a quick, easy and no-obligations free phone call away.
Kind Regards, Steve
Seeking police promotion? Want a MASSIVE head start right now? Hit the ground running with your personal digital promotion toolkit, and/or my market-leading Police Promotion Masterclass and CVF explainers. There’s nothing else like it to effectively prepare you for success in your leadership aspirations. You can also contact me to arrange more personal coaching support. Or try my podcast for your ongoing police leadership CPD covering a range of fascinating subjects.
