NYPD chief: Officers should not turn backs on de Blasio

Ahead of Sunday's funeral for slain NYPD officer Wenjian Liu, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton has asked officers to show respect when Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at the event.

"I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor and decency that go with it," Bratton wrote Friday in a memo sent to officers. Saturday's wake and Sunday's funeral for Liu are expected to draw thousands of mourners and police officers from around the country.

His request comes a week after services for Liu's partner, Rafael Ramos. Liu, 32, and Ramos, 40, were shot to death Dec. 20 while sitting in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street.

When de Blasio – who some have blamed for contributing to the mistrust of law enforcement amid protests surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner – spoke at Ramos' funeral on Dec. 27, hundreds of officers turned their backs toward him in a sign of disrespect. This act has become the focus of the "city's and country's consciousness," according to Bratton. While the act was committed by hundreds of officers out of thousands who attended, it reflected on them all, he said.

"It stole the valor, honor and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of Detective Rafael Ramos' life and sacrifice," he wrote. "That was not the intent, I know. But it was a result."

Bratton doesn't describe the details of the act, nor does he name the mayor in the memo, but he makes it clear he would not approve of a repeat performance. De Blasio is scheduled to give Liu's eulogy on Sunday.

"A hero's funeral is about grieving, not grievance," he said.

Still, Bratton noted that he has made any mandates and will not discipline anyone if any acts happen again.

De Blasio, a Democrat, has faced much heat in the aftermath of the killings of Ramos and Liu. The two officers were shot dead in their patrol car by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who had vowed in online references to put "wings on pigs" because of the killings of unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers.

Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said the men's blood was essentially on the mayor's hands. De Blasio has been at odds with Lynch since a grand jury declined to indict white officer Daniel Pantaleo in the chokehold death of Garner, an unarmed black man. Union officials say de Blasio helped foster an anti-police atmosphere by supporting demonstrations following Garner's death and after the grand jury decision.

When the mayor walked through the hospital where Ramos and Liu were pronounced dead, dozens of police officers turned their backs on him.

And earlier this week, de Blasio was booed and heckled by some members of the audience. There, about a dozen people in the stands stood with their backs to the mayor. It was unclear whether they were members of the New York Police Department