NEW YORK (Sputnik) — A group of police officers face disciplinary action after they allegedly underreported crimes in order to lower crime rates, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said in a statement.
“Administrative charges are being filed against 19 uniformed members of the 40th Precinct,” the NYPD stated on Friday.
The 19 police officers allegedly failed to process crime complaints during a four-month period in 2014, the NYPD explained.
The 40th Precinct, which is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, saw a 14 percent drop in crime during 2014 as a result of the underreported crimes. The decrease was adjusted to 11.4 percent as a result of the underreporting findings.
“The purposeful misrepresentation of crime data is rare, but nevertheless unacceptable,” NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said in the statement.
The 19 officers will face a departmental board at a later time to determine what consequences they will face.
Major crimes in New York City decreased by 4.7 from 2013 to 2014, according to the NYPD.
The New York Police Department is the largest police force in the United States,employing more than 51,000 people.
