A Bronx detective has become the newest poster child for crime statistic fraud over allegations that he ignored and attempted to downplay a brutal armed robbery attempt that left a college student with a broken jaw. Tatjana Sevilla, 22, fought off a gun-toting crook who tried to force his way into her family's Castle Hill home, but the perp struck her in the face and fractured her jaw. Despite the severity of her injuries and the fact the culprit was armed, Detective Rene Narvaez allegedly classified the crime as a minor infraction—and refused to look at surveillance footage that could have helped the investigation.
According to the Daily News, when the victim and her mother tried to convince Narvaez to classify the crime as a felony rather than a misdemeanor, the 43rd Precinct detective blew them off. "He said it would have helped if I had seen [the attacker's] face or recognized his face," said Sevilla. "I just feel like he wasn't really interested in investigating it." Narvaez also allegedly refused to view surveillance footage showing the perp with a gun in his waistband. The detective—who is now facing an internal investigation—says the victim never told him about the footage. Since receiving calls from reporters, Narvaez has upgraded the crime to a felony charge of second-degree assault.
Meanwhile at Brooklyn's 81st Precinct, where a whistleblowing cop claimed officers routinely under-reported crimes to make statistics looks better, investigators will question two-dozen officers in formal hearings on CompStat manipulation, according to the Daily News. The commanding officer of the Bed-Stuy station house called the allegations against him and his officers "atrocious," and added: "I'm confident the truth will come out ... I know my character ... I've got nothing to hide."
