As Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announced Mr. Bratton's appointment as the new commissioner of the New York Police Department, he cited Mr. Bratton's time in Los Angeles as a primary reason for his selection, saying it proved he could police fairly while still bringing down crime, reports the New York Times .

And indeed, his tenure as LAPD chief in the early 2000s may provide hints of what to expect in his renewed role leading the New York force. While in Los Angeles, Mr. Bratton relied on many of the aggressive techniques that have proved divisive in New York, even as he navigated the complicated racial tensions and was seen as an ally by many civil rights leaders.

For all the accolades, Mr. Bratton had critics during his seven-year tenure as the leader of one of the largest police departments in the nation. While he helped bring an end to federal oversight and was lauded for improving community relations and bringing racial diversity to the police force, he was criticized for increasing the police presence among the homeless concentrated on Skid Row, and for excessive stops of pedestrians, particularly in poor neighborhoods.