NYC Police Commissioner: Officers Feel ‘Under Attack’ From Federal Government

New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton today relayed the concerns of police officers across the country and said they feel “under attack” by the federal government in the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with host Chuck Todd, Bratton said he hopes national leaders, including President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, will take those concerns into account.

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

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Tensions between African-Americans and law enforcement erupted after grand juries chose not to indict two white police officers in the deaths of Brown and Garner, both African-American.

Last week, two NYPD officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were shot dead in their police car while working overtime. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, killed the officers as retribution for Brown and Garner’s deaths.

Liu and Ramos’ murders escalated tensions between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and law enforcement, as police officers said the mayor showed a lack of support for the NYPD.

At Ramos’ funeral yesterday, hundreds of officers turned their backs to screens showing de Blasio as he spoke.

Thousands of cops turned their backs to Mayor de Blasio at Rafael Ramos's funeral today http://t.co/6sUuC7qcLA pic.twitter.com/10zoyodBb5

— New York Post (@nypost) December 27, 2014

Both Bratton and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said this morning the gesture was wrong.