If it’s your birthday
A VETERAN Bronx cop is accused of downgrading a wild attack on a Rite Aid security guard beaten with a skateboard by teen shoplifters from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Frank Cirminello, a detective in the 49th Precinct with 15 years on the force, was the subject of an ongoing NYPD disciplinary trial this week at police headquarters.
A random NYPD audit in August 2015 caught the misclassification and the Quality Assurance Division opened a probe, leading eventually to the trial.
The investigation heated up in October 2015 after a tipster alleged broader downgrading of crimes in the 49th Precinct.
Cirminello is accused of misclassifying a June 29, 2015, incident in a Bronx Rite Aid.
Security guard Mohamed Kamara spotted a teenage girl slipping a bottle of cold medicine into her pocket. When he stopped her and demanded she give the bottle up, one of the four boys with her told him to let her go.
“One of the guys hits me in the back of the head with a skateboard,” Kamara testified Wednesday. “I threw a basket at them, and he hit me again twice with the skateboard.”
The teens fled after smashing two glass panes in a door and trying to break the video security system, Kamara said.
A 49th Precinct patrol sergeant classified the case not as felony assault or robbery, but two lesser misdemeanors — criminal mischief and assault three.
The police report said Kamara called the strikes from the skateboard “unintentional.”
The report also omitted Kamara’s injuries — a cut to the back of his head that he had treated at a hospital.
The patrol sergeant was later penalized 10 vacation days.
Cirminello faces the loss of 10 vacation days. Police Commissioner James O’Neill has the final call.
“He conducted a thorough investigation in this case with the information he had available to him,” Cirminello’s lawyer James Moschella said Wednesday.
The trial touched on issues raised by Brooklyn NYPD Transit Capt. Marash Vucinaj in a Daily News exposé Monday.
Vucinaj, a 24-year veteran, claimed that some felony crime reports for assault, grand larceny and noninjury shootings are misclassified to lower the city’s crime stats.Police officials disputed his claims. They said 2% of 700,000 crime reports annually are misclassified — about 14,000 reports. Since 2013, 41 cops have been disciplined for misclassifying reports, records obtained by the Daily News show. All of them kept their jobs. An alignment between Mars and Jupiter on your birthday is inviting you to live with passion, gusto and the confidence that you have nothing to hide. Indeed, you may feel a calling to step into some aspect of public life, whether in some form of leadership, taking on a social cause, or as an entertainer. The limelight will be following you wherever you go. You share a birthday with Alvin Ailey, Diane Keaton and Marilyn Manson. MARCH 21-APRIL 19 Close partners and loved ones can provide you with a distinct advantage in meeting your goals, though they’re not a goal in themselves. Invite others to help you in ways that don’t make you permanently dependent upon them. You want the satisfaction of walking on your own two feet. APRIL 20-MAY 20 When you were a kid, adults probably told you all kinds of useful things; for example, where people allegedly come from, how the Earth was created, and why you should feel guilty for existing. You have developed your own understanding, which opens up many different possibilities. MAY 21-JUNE 20 Push seems to be coming to shove where important matters of business are concerned. A certain issue has reached a limit, which means you have no choice but to come up with some new ideas, and perhaps a whole new approach to getting the job done. You have plenty to work with. JUNE 21-JULY 22 Treat people like they treat you. If someone is chilly and distant, reflect that to them. If someone reveals their curiosity, mirror that. If someone is trusting, warm and inviting, respond by doing the same. Notice who you attract, and don’t worry about trying to win anyone over. JULY 23-AUG. 22 It can be difficult to change how you feel, though it’s worth rising to the challenge – especially if you need to make some adjustments in how you relate to family members or housemates. People seem to have some strong opinions. Make sure your views are included in any discussion. AUG. 23-SEPT. 22 The Moon in your sign is here with a boost of confidence, though if you’re feeling even vaguely insecure, open up your mind a little. You have a tendency to get caught inside narrow perspectives that block what would otherwise be a spectacular view of life. Experiment with the unknown. SEPT. 23-OCT. 22 You may not consider yourself a financial genius, though this week you might be one. It will be helpful if you consider all of your circumstances at once; including your work situation or living situation, your need for supplemental income, who might be helpful, and what has to end so you can succeed. OCT. 23-NOV. 21 This is a rare moment, when you just might have everything going for you at once. If your life is considerably less than perfect, take this opportunity to make as many positive changes as you can. If you’re doing well, notice how that feels, and ask yourself what else is possible. NOV. 22-DEC. 21 You’re figuring out something about yourself that you never quite discovered before. What you may find interesting is that this is on the emotional level, rather than the intellectual level. Emotions have their own logic and their own way of evolving, which is like moving underwater rather than in the air. JAN. 20-FEB. 18 This weekend’s astrology is a truly beautiful, interesting setup for progress in your professional life. In our utterly mad world, the three most important keys for success are doing what matters, taking leadership, and following through on your plans. You can work all of that in your favor. FEB. 19-MARCH 20 Remember that sex is an essential element of your religion. That includes staying in contact with the spiritual aspect of physical existence, and the growth aspect of emotions. Mostly, though, it means honoring the fact that you are a biological entity and your desires are entirely legit.