40 Cops Eyed in Ticket-Fix Probe

Up to 40 Bronx cops eyed in grand jury ticket-fix probe - bribery, larceny charges possible
The New York Daily News by Bob Kappstatter and Rocco Parascandola - April 9, 2011

A grand jury is investigating as many as 40 cops in an alleged ticket-fixing scheme in the Bronx. A grand jury probe of an alleged Bronx ticket-fixing scheme focuses on as many as 40 cops, including delegates from the city's largest police union, sources told the Daily News. More than two dozen cops are being eyed for making summonses disappear in exchange for gifts - a felony - sources said. At least 10 others are being investigated for lesser crimes, including obstructing governmental administration. These cops are suspected of losing tickets that they had "taken care of," the source said. "Guys are being asked what do they know about cops getting gifts or asking for gifts," according to one source. "They're talking about indictments for larceny. They're talking about indictments for bribery. ... It's not going to be pretty." At least one high-ranking cop has been called to testify. A sergeant and other cops who are not delegates of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association are also under investigation, the sources said. Officials from the NYPD, the PBA and the Bronx district attorney's office declined comment, but it appears prosecutors are turning up the heat. A PBA official on Wednesday got an unexpected house call - an assistant district attorney and an NYPD Internal Affairs investigator trying to get him to turn informant, sources said. Internal Affairs investigators pulled summons records from all 12 Bronx precincts in September. The Bronx investigation began with an Internal Affairs probe into a delegate suspected of having ties to a drug dealer. During that investigation, the officer, who is on modified duty, was heard on a wire asking a PBA delegate to fix a summons, sources said. That officer is suspected of taking cash in exchange for fixing tickets. For years, it has been common practice for cops to extend a professional courtesy to an officer whose relative or close friend got a ticket. Last June, the NYPD installed a new system that allows each summons to be tracked electronically, making it tough to get rid of once it is written. The district attorney's probe covers August 2009 through last June. With Alison Gendar - rparascandola@nydailynews.com