New York State Trooper Edward Longo accused writing at least 2 dozen false traffic tickets
NEW YORK - A New York state trooper is facing felony charges, accused of writing false traffic tickets - at least 24 of them - including one written last March to a man who had died earlier in the day.
He patrolled busy highways in Westchester, where there's no shortage of people speeding and committing other infractions, but investigators allege State Trooper Edward Longo tried to boost his productivity by writing phony traffic tickets.
"I don't think that this officer, if he's guilty of these charges, was thinking very clearly about this. It just seems so reckless," said retired NYPD Det. Phil Grimaldi.
Grimaldi is co-host of the "Police Off The Cuff" podcast. He reviewed the court papers, and was surprised at what looks like a blatant scheme.
"There's just so many different ways that this could be uncovered," he said.
The New York State Police Professional Standards Bureau says Longo wrote false tickets for speeding, seat belt violations, failure to signal a lane change and other infractions, submitting names that didn't match drivers license numbers, or dates of birth.
In March of last year, Longo allegedly ticketed a driver on the Taconic hours after the man died in a crash. Records indicate that was 50-year-old Kurt Perez of New Rochelle.
Perez's ex-wife was shocked to learn of Longo's alleged ticketing scheme.
"I think that is a disgrace and a dishonor to his badge," Denise Pabon said.
Why would a trooper do this? The court filing indicates Longo's traffic enforcement "fell consistently below the Troop K average," and the tickets were an attempt to avoid a negative performance evaluation.
"When State Police learned of a possible falsified traffic ticket scheme by one of our members, we immediately launched a criminal investigation in collaboration with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office that resulted in the charges filed today. Integrity is one of our core values, and we hold our members to the highest standards. We thoroughly investigate every complaint, and if any member breaks the law they are held accountable," the New York State Police said in a statement.
