NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said that he doesn't expect demonstrations following today's grand jury decision in the chokehold death of Eric Garner to reach the level of those in Ferguson, Mo. Bratton said the NYPD has been extensively preparing for every possible scenario, in an interview which was broadcast live today, Dec. 3, on CBS THIS MORNING (7:00-9:00 AM).
"We've been conducting a series of community meetings throughout the city, with a lot concentrated naturally in Staten Island, I was over there as recently as Monday," said Bratton. "And we've also been tactically preparing in terms of bringing in resources to deal with any potential eventuality. You hope for the best and plan for the worst." Bratton added that he'd also sent NYPD detectives to Ferguson during the demonstrations to observe protestors' tactics.
Bratton also discussed his support for technology and the use of body cameras in policing, which the NYPD will start using as early as this weekend.
"I think it will illuminate an awful lot of the 'he said, she said' situations where we don't have video," said Bratton, "And that will be a good thing."
A partial transcript of the interview is below:
NORAH O'DONNELL: This morning New York City awaits a grand jury vote in a case with echoes of Ferguson, Mo. The decision on whether to charge a white police officer could come as early as today. The city medical examiner ruled an improper chokehold was a factor in the death of a black suspect, Eric Garner.
CHARLIE ROSE: The case sparked protests over police use of force. New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is with us for an interview you'll see only on
CBS THIS MORNING. He also led police departments in Boston and Los Angeles. Commissioner, welcome. Tell me how you're preparing for this grand jury decision, and whether you're informed by the events in Ferguson.
BILL BRATTON: We've been preparing in multiple ways for months now. We've been conducting a series of community meetings throughout the city, with a lot concentrated naturally in Staten Island, I was over there as recently as Monday. And we've also been tactically preparing in terms of bringing in resources to deal with any potential eventuality. You hope for the best and plan for the worst.
GAYLE KING: People in New York as you know were very angry about the Eric Garner case. I know you said you're prepared, but do you think what happened in Ferguson could happen here?
BRATTON: We don't anticipate that at all. We had a major demonstration during the course of the summer, almost immediately after the event. 4,000 to 5,000 demonstrators, peaceful march. We've had no significant events in Staten Island since the events itself. No, it's a community over there that's really working very hard to ensure that there are no problems when the decision finally comes down.
Watch the appearance here:
Chris Licht is the Vice President of Programming, CBS News, and Executive Producer of CBS THIS MORNING.
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