By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter Producer
MANHATTAN — A recent investigation found that MTA signal inspectors falsified thousands of reports over the past several years, putting millions of New Yorkers at risk of subway collisions, the New York Post reported.
The six-month investigation led by the MTA inspector general found that several managers forced workers to fudge data after receiving pressure to meet federal requirements calling for monthly switch signal inspections, signal maintainers told the Post.
"Instead of five signals to inspect [in a shift], they would give you 15. There's no way 15 could be done, but they would say you had to do it," a source told the Post. "It's like you think your car is fine after going to the mechanic, but they never looked at it."
The subway system has thousands of signals, and a mistaken green light could lead to potentially fatal collisions. The most dangerous trains are along the L line, which is computer-run and lacks a system that will activate brakes if a signal fails, the Post reported.
Managers are being questioned about the signal report falsification, which is a felony offense, the Post reported. Although it's unclear whether or not workers will be charged with crimes, the MTA's Signal Department supervisor, Tracy Bowdwin, was demoted last week after the shakedown began.
Signal mantainers say managers threatened to take away overtime privileges or otherwise punish the workers if they didn't follow orders to regularly fudge data into daily logbooks. Sometimes, the managers would write false reports even if workers refused to invent data, according to the Post.
The investigation comes on the heels of two previous reports that found negligent or faked signal inspections. In 2006, inspectors noted that "the system lacked internal controls to prevent fraud and falsification of inspection and maintenance records," and in 2000, a report found over 2,000 signal reports had been fudged.
The current investigation is still ongoing, MTA inspectors and NYC Transit spokespeople said.
"We also took swift action to ensure that none of these deficiencies undermine the system's safe operation or its underlying components," NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton told the Post, adding that he thought the signal system was safe.
