19 NYPD members facing internal charges for allegedly underreporting crime data in South Bronx

SOUTH BRONX, N.Y. (WABC) -- Nineteen members of the New York City Police Department are facing internal charges for allegedly miscategorizing and underreporting crime complaints in the South Bronx.

The NYPD announced Friday that an internal audit of the 40th Precinct found 55 instances of miscategorized instances when looking at more than 1,500 complaint reports and reviewing radio call response activity during a four-month period in 2014.

Most of the miscategorized instances fall in these five categories:

* Petit larceny

* Lost property

* Misdemeanor assault

* Criminal mischief

* Criminal trespass

The members of the precinct facing charges include one lieutenant, eight sergeants, nine police officers and one detective. The NYPD said based on the findings of the audit, the commanding officer of the 40th precinct has been administratively transferred. The accused officers face possible dismissal if they are found guilty.

"These disciplinary charges are strict but fair," Police Commissioner William Bratton said in a news release. "The purposeful misrepresentation of crime data is rare but nevertheless unacceptable, and it will be dealt with accordingly."

The NYPD said all 55 complaint reports are being corrected to reflect the proper offense categories. This changes the overall crime statistics for this precinct from a decrease of 14% to a decrease of only 11.4%.

The NYC Patrolmen's Benevolent Association released this statement from PBA President Patrick J. Lynch Friday afternoon:

"We agree that crime stats have to be accurate in order to know where and when to assign police resources. However, because of the serious shortage of police officers over the last decade and a half, management has consistently hammered police officers to reduce felonies to misdemeanors. It's an artificial way of keeping felonies down with fewer officers on the street, a problem that we still experience today. This union has been vocal about the problem since 2004. Police officers follow the dictates of their bosses or they suffer the consequences. The PBA will vigorously defend these police officers."

The New York City Mayor's office released this statement from Karen Hinton, the spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio:

"The swift action taken by NYPD is testament to the department's commitment to transparency and accountability. The only way to keep our city safe is to ensure police officers are accurately reporting criminal incidents. The Mayor credits Commissioner Bratton for putting a system into place reforms that identify problems and solve them promptly. He has full confidence in the reporting and auditing procedures currently in place."