East Side Police Chief Investigated

BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

Four high-ranking police officials, including Deputy Inspector James Grant of the 19th Precinct on the Upper East Side, have been placed on desk duty as part of an federal corruption investigation.

Without providing details, police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the officers might were being investigated by the FBI, the Department of Justice and internally for possibly having violated conflict-of-interest rules.

“The potential violations under investigation include violations of NYPD rules and policies, the City conflicts of interest rules and the federal criminal laws. The investigation is examining the conduct of current and former NYPD Officers and several others,” Bratton said in a statement issued earlier today.

According to The New York Times, the FBI has been looking into allegations that some police officials were given free meals and trips by religious organizations in Brooklyn.

Bratton said police personnel with the rank of captain or above had earlier this year met with representatives of the department’s legal bureau for training on conflict-of-interest rules.

Grant has also been transferred, Bratton said, although he did not provide details. The three other police officials put on desk duty are Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, of the department’s Housing Bureau, Deputy Chief David Colon and Deputy Chief Eric Rodriguez.

The police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau began its investigation at the end of 2013, which was then joined with FBI and Department of Justice investigations already under way, Bratton said

“As this is an on-going, joint investigation, the rules governing what we can say at this point are limited not only by NYPD policies and practices, but also by FBI and DOJ guidelines and policies. There are also general rules about the secrecy and confidentiality of grand jury investigations,” the statement said.

“We will follow the leads wherever they take us,” Bratton added.