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Give Al Sharpton his due: If theres a rally for a cause he backs, hes there. He knows the importance of the public square.

What does this say about the mayor and police commissioner, who skipped Saturdays pro-NYPD rally in Staten Island? Organizers took pains not to be political.

They simply felt cops are under attack and aimed to underscore public appreciation for their work. Do Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton have something against that?

The rally had to do with honor and support for cops, said an organizer, Joe Brandefine. There was nothing political about it.

By showing up, the mayor and the commish wouldve sent cops an encouraging message: Their bosses have their backs. Their attendance wouldve resonated with the public, too.

Recall the context: the Rev. Sharpton held an anti-NYPD rally last month after the death of Eric Garner. He claims cops put Garner in a chokehold when he resisted arrest, causing his death. De Blasio and Bratton dont want to be seen siding against the Rev.

NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis claims Bratton cant get to every event. Mayoral aide Phil Walzak says no one should doubt the mayors strong support for cops.

But a draft report from the Civilian Complaint Review Board (under a new boss, Richard Emery, named by de Blasio) suggests something else:

It tars cops, as The Post reported Sunday, claiming they use chokeholds too often even though it cites just 1,128 chokehold complaints since 2009, out of more than 100 million interactions between cops and the public. Only 10 complaints, moreover, were substantiated.

Meanwhile, what can we expect from cops when they see their bosses afraid to stand up for them publicly?

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Learn from Al Sharpton