New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton defended Mayor Bill de Blasio against charges the mayor threw his police department under the bus on Sunday.
"This mayor, my mayor, Bill de Blasio, is probably one of the best I've ever worked with," Bratton said Sunday on "Face the Nation." http://www.cbsnews.com/face-the-nation/ Bratton said that under de Blasio, more than $200 million has been spent outside the department's budget for new equipment and training.
Patrick Lynch, president of Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, was critical of de Blasio, who said in remarks after a grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer in the death of Eric Garner that such incidents represented the culmination of centuries of racism.
Bratton noted that the police department and union are in contract talks, something that might affect Lynch's view.
Bratton said he knows and respects Lynch, but "we have a very strong difference of opinion on that comment."
He declined to talk about his feelings on the so-called "chokehold" case in which Officer Daniel Pantaleo was the focus. Garner died after Pantaleo and others wrestled him to the ground. Garner can be heard on video complaining 11 times that he couldn't breathe.
The NYPD is investigating whether Pantaleo broke any police rules in the arrest. Bratton said he will be making the final decision on whether Pantaleo will face discipline so it would be inappropriate for him to comment on his feelings before making a ruling, which likely will come in 3-4 months.
"I don't think that anybody that watches that video is not disturbed by what they saw. Policing involving use of force always looks awful," Bratton said.
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Earlier Sunday, Bratton appeared on "The Cats Roundtable" on
New York's AM 970 and defended the police force against some of the protesters who have taken to the streets in the days following the grand jury announcement.
Bratton praised the restraint shown by officers in handling the large demonstrations, and added, "I wish some of the protesters, professional agitators and anarchists would show the same restraint."
Many of the demonstrators "are seeking to provoke the police," he said.
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