Bill Bratton Says He Won’t Remain NYPD Commissioner Past 2017

New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton is joined by Mayor Bill de Blasio during a news conference, Friday, July 8, 2016, in New York. The NYPD is stepping up measures in the wake of the attack on Dallas police. Bratton said officers will double up on patrols for their safety and police presence will be increased at protests. They say there is no credible threat against the police force or the city, and the steps were being taken as a precaution. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

NEW YORK—Law enforcement heavyweight William Bratton confirmed on Monday that he will not remain head of the New York Police Department past the end of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first term in 2017.

“I do not intend to stay into a second term,” the police commissioner told reporters at an unrelated news conference with the mayor.

The 68-year-old Bratton made the remarks in response to an interview with The New York Times where he talked about seeking new challenges beyond the NYPD after the end of next year. He offered no specific timetable on Monday for leaving the helm of the nation’s largest police department.

“When I find the right time, that’s when there'll be a consultation with the mayor,” he said. “I’m not worried about getting kicked out of the place, fortunately.”

With the city’s crime rate mostly holding at historic lows and shootings down nearly 20 percent so far this year, Bratton has been credited with helping bolster the de Blasio administration’s public safety record.

The mayor downplayed news of Bratton’s plans, calling it “very premature.” He said that on his watch, Brattoncould run the NYPD for as long as he wanted.

Mayor Bill de Blasio at a prekindergarten teacher training at the Brooklyn College, on Aug. 19, 2014. Petr Svab/Epoch Times