NYPD expenses on web

SECRET no more.

Nearly $400 million in NYPD expenses for the past fiscal year will be more fully explained on a city website and not shrouded in secrecy, as had been the case for years, the Daily News has learned.

The move to greater transparency comes at a time when the NYPD has been criticized for not releasing the results of disciplinary actions against police officers and as the City Council is pressing the department for more information about the equipment it uses to conduct surveillance.

In February, The News wrote that nearly $390 million — or 8% — of the NYPD’s $4.87 billion budget for the fiscal year that ended June 30 was not fully explained on the city transparency website, CheckbookNYC.com.

The remaining 92% funds personnel costs.

For every contract and pettycash expense, the name of the vendor getting paid was listed as n/a, or not available, with the item listed under the category Privacy/Security.

Everything from $291,900 for building construction to $308.30 for maintenance supplies was listed as a security expense — not to mention a $3.88 check that turned out to be for a vaccination for Mentos, a police dog.

All told, 437,769 expenditures — including 1,278 for postage — were posted with nary a detail since CheckbookNYC.com was established in 2010.

At the time of The News’ story, the NYPD couldn’t say why its expenses were listed in that fashion — and current city Controller Scott Stringer also didn’t have a clear sense of the issue.

He did, however, send a letter to Police Commissioner James O’Neill, and both sides agreed changes had to be made, according to police and city officials.

“Upon learning of the issue, we began working with the controller to determine why the information was not being disclosed through the CheckBookNYC website. The department will now disclose most police expenses, that are not covert, to the public. We believe this will be fully resolved in the coming months,” said NYPD spokesman Peter Donald.

One official said police expenses were not fully detailed on the website because the computer program was written that way when Raymond Kelly was police commissioner.

Kelly was comment.

The official said that program has been replaced by one that will properly designate all expenses.

“We’re pleased to have an agreement with the NYPD to make contracts public in Checkbook,” Stringer said in a statement. “Transparency matters, openness is critical and this is undoubtedly the right thing to do.”

Dick Dadey, the head of Citizens Union, said the move creates “a 21st century NYPD that is transparent in its spending of taxpayer dollars of the very public it pledges to protect and serve.”

The change will take months, possibly until the end of the year, though it will also involve going back to 2010 and reclassifying hundreds of millions of other expense dollars.

The NYPD’s budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 is $5.6 billion. unavailable for