Loses Leader, Staff Lawyers

Police Corruption Panel Withering

By REUVEN BLAU

The Commission to Combat Police Corruption has pared staff - including its chief operating officer - and is working to determine its authority, signs that the little-known oversight panel may soon be drastically restructured.

JULIE BLOCK: Departing for DOI post.

"You are certainly free to speculate," said Michael F. Armstrong, the Commission's Chairman, during a Sept. 18 interview. "We are looking at the jurisdiction of the commission and its meaning."

Staff Attorneys Gone

He acknowledged that the panel's two full-time attorneys have left since he took over in June 2005 and that they haven't been replaced. "We will be in the process of hiring some more," he asserted. "I don't want you to draw any conclusions."

Notably, Julie Block, the Commission's Executive Director, is moving to the Department of Investigation, where she will serve as an Associate Commissioner, something that was first reported by police columnist Len Levitt.

The watchdog agency was created during the Giuliani administration in 1995 and has since released 28 reports.

It has been labeled superfluous, however, by John F. Driscoll, president of the Captains' Endowment Association, who has contended that it merely monitors the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, which conducts thorough investigations. The union president wasn't surprised by the latest developments. "It wasn't really serving a useful purpose as far as I could see," he remarked. "They were only issuing reports now and then. It was sort of a redundant system."

Kept Rudy's Hand In

Mr. Driscoll has contended that Mr. Giuliani established the commission as a way to "micromanage" the NYPD. Mayor Bloomberg has a more open management style and allows his commissioners greater autonomy, he added.

Interestingly, the panel's annual report detailing past reviews and upcoming plans said that it was going to evaluate the NYPD's Investigative Borough Bureau, which examines less-serious allegations of misconduct. The oversight group was also set to continue monitoring the department's Trial Room and the Advocate's Office "to determine if improvements have been made to the disciplinary system."

But those plans appear to be on hold. "The police are policing themselves," Mr. Armstrong said. "The question is what is corruption and what isn't."

Mr. Armstrong served as Chief Counsel to the Knapp Commission, which did a groundbreaking probe of police corruption in the early 1970s. He replaced Mark F. Pomerantz, who stepped down the day after he told the City Council that the Police Department's failure to provide specific data had minimized the panel's effectiveness and delayed its investigations.

The Commission's last report, which was a follow-up review of the NYPD's disciplinary Performance Monitoring Unit, was released in April. The panel's most famous report, issued in March 2004, found that 20 percent of a sample of the 2003 Police Academy class should have been disqualified due to candidates' prior arrest records.

Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, however, downplayed the department's allegedly lax hiring procedures as outlined in that review. They pointed out that 58 percent of the 2005 academy class had an associate's degree or higher, and that the department had 33,000 applications for 3,000 jobs in 2004.

But the NYPD is presently struggling to attract and retain new officers because of the current salary structure, according to Mr. Kelly. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association has contended that the department has relaxed many of its hiring requirements to fill vacancies, a charge the NYPD vehemently denies.

Key Proposals Unheeded

The Commission's last three reports included recommended changes to the NYPD's hiring procedures, merit pay for its internal investigators, and slight modifications to the screening process for School Safety Agents and Traffic Enforcement Agents.

None of the reports, however, have produced results so far. Also, Labor Commissioner James F. Hanley has said that paying IAB officers more has never been discussed.

Mr. Pomerantz stated when he departed 15 months ago that since August 2003 the NYPD had stymied the commission's investigations involving alleged fraudulent claims for police overtime and sexual misconduct and domestic violence by officers. The department also blocked the panel from investigating the integrity of the agency's crime statistics, Mr. Pomerantz asserted.

Paul J. Browne, the Deputy Police Commissioner for Public Information, has maintained that the NYPD has given the panel access to all records involving possible corruption.

'Don't Need Subpoenas'

Mr. Armstrong said he wasn't concerned about the subpoena issue, noting that the Commission had that power via DOI. "Presumably, subpoena power shouldn't be necessary if you are working with the department," he remarked.

But insiders familiar with the panel blasted that assessment, pointing out that the agency is hamstrung when the department denies it information. "A watchdog agency that can't get documents from the agency it is monitoring strikes me as a problem," a source said.

When he was first appointed, Mr. Armstrong said he believed that strict guidance under a knowledgeable commissioner such as Mr. Kelly is the antidote for potential corruption. "The best way to ensure a corruption-free department is to have someone like General Patton or Vince Lombardi as Commissioner," he commented. "I think Kelly fits that bill."

Some critics of the department have called on the panel to examine the department's crime statistics, which have generally shown a continued decrease. Those critics contend that many of the figures have been fudged by supervisors who are under intense pressure from police brass to reduce crime even further beyond record lows.

Mr. Driscoll, however, has maintained that the stats are accurate, noting that they are internally audited and reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.