Commissioner Bill Bratton told officers they should not turn their backs on the mayor during the funeral for slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu.
New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, center, walks through Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Kevin Hagen / Getty Images
Bratton urged his officers not to make the gesture in a memo obtained by the New York Post.
"A hero's funeral is about grieving, not grievance," the memo began.
It went on to say that police who turned their backs on de Blasio during Officer Rafael Ramos' funeral on Dec. 27 "stole the valor, honor, and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory" of his "life and sacrifice." Bratton's memo also characterized the gesture as an "act of disrespect" that ultimately distracted from the funeral.
Law enforcement officers turn their backs on a live video monitor showing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as he speaks at the funeral of slain NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos on Dec. 27.
Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
The memo is not an order or mandate and Bratton pointed out that he is not threatening to discipline officers. However, he concluded by saying that "when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor, and decency that go with it."
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