NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton proved to be a take-charge guy even when trying to hook up with his future wife, Rikki Klieman, the “CBS This Morning” legal commentator revealed Wednesday in front of the Commish at New York Law School.
“I had known [Bill] in Boston when I surrendered fugitive Katherine Ann Power to him,” Klieman told the school’s new alumni/student Women’s Network and Bloomberg counsel-turned-NYLS dean Anthony Crowell.
“But then I saw him here in New York at the Regency power breakfast. On the way out, I brought my new boss over and [Bill] said to me, ‘You look so beautiful that if you were single, I would marry you.’ ”
Gobsmacked, Klieman replied, “Er, how about lunch?”
The rest is crimefighting/media history.
Calling Bratton “the prize” after a life of putting career over her personal life, Klieman revealed the secret of the couple’s longevity: “We schedule ‘Rikki and Billy time.’ ”
Asked if Klieman’s continuing role as a defense attorney affects his perspective, Bratton said, “Actually, Rikki will be the first one to tell you that now she’s leaning more in my direction.”
Which is?
“Tough on crime.”