Phoenix councilman wants kidnapping stats investigated

PHOENIX - A Phoenix city councilman is calling for a full outside investigation because of an ABC15 investigation that exposed police officials never fully audited kidnapping statistics.

Councilman Sal Diciccio sent a letter to the City Manager's Office on Wednesday.

"I do not believe that any entity can investigate itself," Diciccio said in the letter. "A city management controlled investigation will not have the credibility that the public will accept."

Diciccio also wants the issue brought before the City Council.

On Tuesday, we ran the latest story of our investigation into Phoenix kidnapping statistics from 2008. A review of the numbers revealed that almost 40 percent of the kidnappings reported weren't kidnappings at all.

Those numbers were also used to obtain millions of dollars in federal grant money.

For months, police officials assured that the statistics were correct, that they had been "fully reviewed" and "audited."

However, our investigation found that wasn't true. And our cameras caught several top police leaders admitting no specific audit to look at the statistics was ever completed.

"It's offensive to the public," Diciccio said.