New York - Weeks removed from an open revolt from his own police force that had officers turning their backs on him, Mayor Bill de Blasio now declares he has moved past the rift, striking a tenuous truce with a strategy to stay above the fray and public opinion that eventually soured on the cops' behavior.

While he acknowledged much work remains to repair the hard feelings over the chokehold death of Eric Garner, de Blasio told The Associated Press he has regained the footing to move on to other matters, including an agenda he plans to outline in this week's State of the City address.

"It was a perfect storm. It was based on two tragedies. The death of Eric Garner and the murder of these two officers. People felt pain all around," de Blasio said in an interview Friday. "I do believe things are much better. I believe the dialogue is moving forward."

It was the biggest crisis of the Democrat's year-old administration. Rank-and-file police had already been distrustful of him over his plans to reform such enforcement tactics as stop and frisk, and for his ties to the Rev. Al Sharpton, a fierce police critic.

De Blasio's planning on how to handle the crisis began when shaken members of his inner circle devised a playbook.

Unveiled for the first time to the AP, that plan involved three parts:

• Stay on the moral high ground and maintain focus on the grieving families of the slain officers.

• Empower carefully chosen surrogates to speak on the administration's behalf, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Police Commissioner William Bratton, who allied himself closely with de Blasio but remained in good standing with the police unions.

• Avoid engaging in verbal warfare with the unions, hoping that the passage of time would dissipate the rank-and-file's anger.

A Quinnipiac poll showed that de Blasio's approval rating held steady during the crisis, numbers that were mirrored in City Hall's own internal polling. And another poll showed that two-thirds of New Yorkers did not approve of the police unions' behavior.

Money may also have played a subtle role in brokering peace. Several of the police unions are working on expired contracts and while the PBA is in arbitration, the sergeants union is close to a deal. Also, the City Council announced $7.3 million to purchase new NYPD bulletproof vests, and de Blasio has dedicated additional funding to defend police officers from litigation.

Asked if he had any regrets during the crisis, de Blasio said it was in not moving quickly enough to repudiate the harsh rhetoric of protesters.

"I didn't understand how vile some of the language was," he said. "I wish I had understood better because there's no question in my mind it was unacceptable behavior even if Constitutionally protected."

But while anger has cooled, tensions remain and the crisis could flare again.

"De Blasio did a good job. He remained steadfast in what he believed," said Joseph Mercurio, a longtime political consultant. "But these police union leaders have long been at odds with mayors. I imagine it will happen again."