The head of Queens' NYPD Transit District was taken from his command amid allegations that police were determined to downplay the subway crime with his watch, sources tell the Post.
Colonel Stephen Highland, who led Jamaica's Transit District 20, is allegedly forged signatures by two sergeants and a lieutenant under his command to play robbery and grand theft on the subway system, law enforcement said.
In one incident, Highland reportedly ordered officers to change complaints marked as “legal.”
“This guy was so bad, he sacrificed the victim,” one source said.
Currently, the veteran police officer has been reassigned to details of Brooklyn's court system, but the department's brass is considering possible disciplinary action against him.
“When the police commissioner learned that this was an investigation, she told all parties to make this issue very serious,” another source said. “He was moved quickly.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tish promised to take over the best and great things in New York late last year and wipe out the department.
Less than a month at work, she shuffled the brass and eliminated the perks.
Meanwhile, subway safety remains a major source of concern for Big Apple Strafanger, despite overall declines in transport crime statistics over the past few months.
NYPD officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Highlands' status.
