The top two commanders at a Bronx precinct were transferred Friday on suspicion of stealing time and not working their scheduled hours.
Deputy Inspector Danielle Raia, the commanding officer of the 45th Precinct, was moved to an administrative position in Manhattan North during an ongoing probe. Captain David Dent, who as the executive officer is the second-in-command, will also be moved elsewhere.
Dent has already been placed on modified duty, stripped of his gun and shield.
Raia has yet to be interviewed by Internal Affairs and remains on full duty.
The second-in-command at the west Bronx’s 46th Precinct, Capt. Carlos Ghonz, will replace her in charge of the 45th, police said.
The investigation will be handled with administrative, not criminal charges.
The Daily News reported last month that Internal Affairs investigators recently pulled from the precinct time records going back more than a year.
At first, sources said, the focus was on Raia — but investigators soon found instances in which both her and Dent were essentially getting paid hours when they weren’t working.
The number of stolen hours was not clear or how much money had been paid out for the non-work — but sources said Raia and Dent acted independent of each other.
The highly double transfer leaves the precinct without a command structure, though Police Commissioner James O’Neill is expected to move quickly to fill the vacated spots.
In the meantime, a commander based in the borough office will likely run the precinct.
Working off a tip, IAB found that Raia, who joined the NYPD in July 1999, and Dent, who became a cop in June 1995, were found on numerous occasions to have been signed in, as if they were working, when in fact they were not.
The highly unusual move leaves the precinct without a command structure. (JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
“There’s an expectation placed on our executives, as with all of our police officers,” a source familiar with the investigation said.
“They have a responsibility to perform their duties, without dereliction.”
Roy Richter, head of the Captains Endowment Association, said Dent “is working through a family matter which the department determined interferes with the high-caliber performance demanded of a captain.”
“The duty status change is routine in these situations and will be resolved over time,” Richter added.
A source said Dent has been caring for an ill parent, while trying to juggle that with work.
Dent has made headlines before.
In 2015, he was transferred to the 45th Precinct from a Manhattan transit command after he was accused of artificially driving down crime numbers by keeping crime victims waiting in the hopes they would leave before filing a report.
Raia, meanwhile, was promoted to deputy inspector last July — less than a year after she was tapped to head the 45th Precinct, which covers a number of neighborhoods including Throggs Neck, Co-op City and City Island.
She did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but Richter lauded her.
“The community loves her,” he said. “She’s hard-working commander and she will cooperate with whatever directions the Police Department gives her.”
