I wonder what the return of Police Commissioner William Bratton might mean for the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad? Bratton was Commissioner when the Cold Case Squad was put in place, and he was very supportive of the squad. I read that he increased the LAPD’s Cold Case Homicide Unit when he was their Chief of Police. In direct contrast, former Commissioner Ray Kelly allowed to the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad to shrink from 49 detectives in 1996, the year they were established, to an all-time low of only 7 detectives. I know the focus shifted to counter-terrorism, but that’s 7 detectives covering roughly 10,000 unsolved murders going back to 1985. The squad is currently up to 8.

The Chief of Detectives wants to beef up the unit, I’ve heard. I know it’s never going back up to 49, but surely they could use a little more help.

The earliest picture I could find of the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad.