NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton: Cops feel 'under attack from the federal government'

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton: Cops feel &#039;under attack from the federal government&#039;

last updated 8 January 2015

New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Sunday that the disconnect between police and lawmakers goes well beyond the city, extending all the way to the upper reaches of the federal government.

"They really do feel under attack — rank-and-file officers — and much of American police leadership," Bratton said on Meet the Press. "They feel that they are under attack from the federal government at the highest levels."

Speaking one day after the funeral for Rafael Ramos, one of the two officers whom a lone gunman killed last weekend, Bratton added that the rift between the NYPD and City Hall would probably "go on for a while longer." The city's police have openly warred with Mayor Bill de Blasio over his remarks about race and law enforcement, and some officers at the funeral turned their backs when the mayor delivered a eulogy. —Jon Terbush

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.