Police Commissioner Bill Bratton says tensions have eased between police and city officials since the death of Eric Garner. 

Bratton says things are much calmer now compared to the immediate aftermath of the chokehold death of the Staten Island man last summer. 

After Garner's death, Mayor Bill de Blasio was accused of taking the side of those protesting the NYPD. 

Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," the commissioner said support for the mayor has come back around  and the relationship between de Blasio and the police union is no longer as estranged.

"I think public sentiment really came behind the mayor as the event went forward. I think the raw of emotions two police officers murdered have healed somewhat in the city. So there's much less tension, fortunately, in that regard in our city. That's helpful as we go forward with the engagements we will have to have with the community, the police and the mayor."

Speaking about the nation as a whole, Bratton said there's been a dramatic improvement in the crime situation. 

He noted the number of arrests nationwide is down by about 2 and a half million since 2009.