The most flattering thing being said about Bill Bratton as he plans to leave the LAPD isn’t being said about Bratton, but about his successor: all the buzz is about promoting from within.
If I had to bet, I’d bet on Charlie Beck. But he’s not the only solid internal candidate. The place has changed so much that an internal promotion would represent a decision to continue progress rather than a decision to double down on the past. And I’d expect LAPD to start to resemble the NYPD as a breeding ground for police chiefs.
As for Bratton’s own future, here’s hoping that his move to Altegrity is a just a quick cash-in on his way back to public service. The FBI would be a stretch: agents aren’t really cops, counter-terrorism isn’t policing, and any fight to change Hooverville would run into serious resistance from the Ba’athist dead-enders at on the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue. So I wouldn’t put the same sort of odds-on bet on Bratton’s success at the Bureau that I would if he took over another police department. Still, given the stakes, it’s a gamble I’d like to see happen.
