The Profession

"When Bill Bratton became a Boston street cop after returning from serving in Vietnam, he was dismayed by the corrupt old guard, and it is fair to say the old guard was dismayed by him too. But his success fighting crime could not be denied. Propelled by extraordinary results, Bratton had a dazzling rise, and ultimately a dazzling career, becoming the most famous police commissioner of modern times. The Profession is the story of that career in full. Everywhere he went, Bratton brought his revolutionary data-driven approach and extraordinary leadership skills to bear to slash crime rates and professionalize the vocation of the cop. But his career has not been without controversy, and central to the reckoning of The Profession is the fundamental crisis of relations between the Black community and law enforcement, a crisis he now believes has been inflamed by the unforeseen consequences of some well-intentioned policies. Crime exacts a terrible cost on us, but so can punishment. Building trust between a police force and the community it is sworn to protect is in many ways, Bratton argues, the first task--without genuine trust in law enforcement to do the right thing, little else is p