NYPD ticket-fixing sweep: 16 cops face charges

At least 16 New York Police Department officers are expected to be charged with multiple counts of fixing tickets or other unrelated corruption charges on Friday, sources have told The Associated Press.

Ten of the officers were expected to face ticket-fixing charges, while six were expected to be charged with other counts, including narcotics corruption and covering up an assault, the New York Times reports.

According to the New York Times, the ticket-fixing investigation arose out of a December 2008 investigation into a Bronx cop who was accused of providing protection for a drug dealer. Investigators obtained a court-ordered wiretap on the officer, and while listening in on his conversations, began hearing about other officers helping family and friends get out of paying traffic tickets.

The ticket charges will involve more than 300 traffic tickets that were fixed, the New York Times reports.

According to the AP:

The ticket-fixing case doesn't appear to rise to the level of the more notorious corruption scandals in the nation's largest police department. But in terms of the number of officers facing criminal or internal administrative charges, the probe represents the largest crackdown on police accused of misconduct in recent memory.

Earlier this week, five current and three former NYPD officers were arrested for smuggling illegal guns.

More from GlobalPost: NYC cops busted in sting operation