Outgoing New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton says Hillary Clinton will watch out for the nation’s law enforcement officers.
“There is a great deal of concern about the fear permeating the country right now,” he said Thursday in Manhattan, according to The New York Daily News, after a two-hour meeting with the Democratic nominee and other top cops from around the nation.
{mosads}“In terms of law enforcement, she has a lot of experience in that area and a lot of great ideas.”
Bratton, who is retiring next month, also mocked Donald Trump’s claim that he is the law and order candidate and better for police than Clinton.
“He’s the law and order candidate?” Bratton asked of the GOP’s presidential nominee. “What is he proposing? What is his experience? What are his ideas? I just don’t know. I haven’t heard any.”
Clinton met with Bratton and other top law enforcement officials earlier Thursday. Others at the meeting included Bratton’s successor, James O’Neill; Charles Beck of the Los Angeles Police Department; and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Participants representing law enforcement agencies from Arizona, New Jersey, Texas and Washington state were also present.
NYPD spokesman Peter Donald said Thursday that Clinton requested the meeting, according to the New York Daily News.
Clinton, a former senator for New York, called for unity between America’s police and the communities they serve during her appearance.
“I think it’s obvious that recent events in Dallas, Baton Rouge, Milwaukee and across the country underscore what difficult and important work there is ahead of us to repair the bonds of trust and respect between our police officers and communities,” she said.
Bratton announced earlier this month he plans on stepping down in September and entering the private sector. He will take a job at Teneo Holdings, a consulting company with close ties to the Clintons.
Teneo Holdings launched in 2011 and served as an adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative. Former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton’s husband, served for a short time on the company’s advisory board.
Bratton has repeatedly criticized Trump’s campaign, arguing that he isn’t the right choice for police.
Trump on late Tuesday said Clinton is “against the police,” adding she would “rather protect the offender than the victim.”
On Thursday, he also held a competing event with police officers. Trump met with the local Fraternal Order of Police in Iredell County, N.C. Before the meeting Trump visited a gun range with the officers.