AWOL COPS IN SCANDAL

The New York Post by LARRY CELONA

April 14, 2008 -- About 10 cops routinely forged police reports to cover for each other when they weren't at the precinct - and now, dozens of the cases they handled have had to be tossed out, sources have told The Post. The cops, from Manhattan South's vice squad, were recently transferred out of the unit after prosecutors discovered they were filing the doctored reports, all of which involved prostitution, sources told The Post.

The practice came to light when a keen-eyed defense lawyer realized that the initials of different officers used to sign off on depositions in the cases were written in the same handwriting, the sources said. Officers typically initial their reports next to their badge numbers and tax ID. The defense lawyer then consulted with a handwriting expert, who confirmed that a single person had scrawled all the different initials. The lawyer told the Manhattan DA's Office, and that triggered an investigation by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Division.   larry.celona@nypost.com