It looks like we haven't heard the last of the ticket fixing scandal
that roiled the ranks of the NYPD. The Albany Times-Union reports that more
than a dozen state troopers and officers in at least six other police
departments are also under investigation "on charges ranging from
misconduct to tampering with records."
The mushrooming scandal began in October following a years-long probe by
Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson, which irritated the union that
represents police officers. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly went so far as to
order internal affairs to monitor traffic court to make sure cops weren't
tanking tickets.
Steven Reed, a spokesman for Johnson, said
investigators found questionable conduct by other cops but "nothing of
what we encountered rose to the level of alleged misconduct for which NYPD
officers have been indicted here in the Bronx."
"We have had conversations with the Offices of at least five
District Attorneys and two United States Attorneys about our findings,"
Reed added.
Meanwhile, a state police spokesman confirmed there was an investigation
into ticket fixing in that agency. A treasurer and delegate in the state police
union recently retired. The Times-Union quotes an anonymous state police
official saying his departure was related to the probe.