Nineteen members of the New York City Police Department are facing internal charges for allegedly miscategorizing and underreporting crime complaints in the South Bronx. The officers were accused of downgrading or misreporting low-level crimes like petit larceny and lost property, as well as criminal mischief and misdemeanor assault.
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The crime statistics at the 40th Precinct have been recalculated in light of the findings, from 14 percent down to 11.4 percent.
“The purposeful misrepresentation of crime data is rare but nevertheless unacceptable, and it will be dealt with accordingly”, Bratton said in the release. Officials said on Friday that the manipulation of the reports made it appear as if crime had dropped more than it actually had, The New York Daily News reported.
One lieutenant, eight sergeants, nine police officers and one detective are subject to departmental charges and specifications in connection with this matter. They face possible dismissal from the department if found guilty. They dryly noted that “a close review of the NYPD’s statistics and analysis demonstrate that the misclassifications of reports may have an appreciable effect on certain reported crime rates”, and said they found 800 misclassifications citywide over the period of 2009 to 2011.
The commanding officer of the 40th Precinct has been “administratively transferred”.
Byrne said he doesn’t think the pattern is widespread.
Patrick Lynch, head of the largest police union that represents 24,000 rank-and-file officers, said it’s been a problem for a decade, but officers are forced to do the bidding of their superiors. “We make decisions based on resources and other factors in the police department so we have a trust that the information is shared is accurate and correct”, says Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson.
Top cop Bill Bratton said in a statement he would not tolerate misconduct.
Mayor de Blasio’s administration commended the NYPD’s “swift action” in disciplining the officers.
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“Policing in the CompStat era requires that the accuracy of our numbers must be unquestionable”, Bratton said.
