Internal Affairs Investigating Bronx Captain

Internal affairs investigating Bronx NYPD captain over use of city vehicle The New York Daily News by Alison Gendar - June 26, 2009

An NYPD police captain known as a stickler for the rules is under investigation for allegedly breaking one, sources said Friday. Internal Affairs is probing whether Capt. Charles Barbuti, who is assigned to the Bronx district attorney's investigative squad, improperly took and wrecked a city car. Barbuti, 46, is accused of hanging onto the car while he was off-duty studying for the bar exam last summer, police sources said. "He didn't tell anyone, and people only learned about the fact that he totaled it months later," a police source said. The accident was June 4, 2008, according to Department of Motor vehicle records. No further information was available. Barbuti allegedly took the car at a time when the city was cutting back on the use of its cars by officials. "He's a stickler for rules and procedures but they don't apply to him," one police source said. A spokesman for the Bronx District Attorney's office declined comment. Barbuti could not be reached, but his union said he hadn't broken any rules. "He reported the accident to the local law enforcement and notified the District Attorney's office soon after. And that was it - he complied by the rules," said the head of the captain's union, Roy Richter. The 22-year veteran has not been questioned by Internal Affairs yet. One supporter said a disgruntled employee had lodged several false accusations against the captain in recent months.