▁pressure ▁to ▁reduce ▁crime , ▁year ▁after ▁year , ▁prompt ed ▁some ▁super vis ors ▁and ▁prec inct ▁command ers ▁to ▁dist ort ▁crime ▁statistics ." ▁ ▁Similarly , ▁cr imes ▁may ▁be ▁reported ▁but ▁down play ed ▁as ▁less ▁significant , ▁to ▁manipulate ▁statistics . ▁As ▁an ▁illustr ation , ▁before ▁a ▁department ▁begins ▁using ▁Comp Stat ▁it ▁might ▁list ▁ 1 0 0 ▁assault s ▁as ▁ag gra v ated ▁and ▁ 5 0 0 ▁as ▁simple ▁assault . ▁If ▁there ▁were ▁a ▁similar ▁pattern ▁of ▁underlying ▁criminal ▁activity ▁the ▁next ▁year , ▁but ▁instead ▁ 5 5 0 ▁assault s ▁are ▁listed ▁in ▁Comp Stat ▁as ▁simple ▁and ▁ 5 0 ▁as ▁ag gra v ated , ▁the ▁system ▁would ▁report ▁that ▁progress ▁had ▁been ▁made ▁reducing ▁major ▁cr imes ▁when ▁in ▁fact , ▁the ▁only ▁difference ▁is ▁in ▁how ▁they ▁are ▁reported . ▁ ▁Man ip ulating ▁reporting ▁data ▁may ▁also ▁neg atively ▁affect ▁personnel ▁and ▁financial ▁dis b urs ement ; ▁communities ▁whose ▁improvements ▁( on ▁paper ) ▁show ▁they ▁need ▁less ▁resources ▁could ▁lose ▁those ▁resources — and ▁still ▁face ▁the ▁same ▁amount ▁of ▁actual ▁crime ▁on ▁the ▁streets . ▁ ▁Many ▁of ▁these ▁negative ▁effects ▁in ▁the ▁possible ▁weak ness es ▁of ▁the ▁CO MP STAT ▁system ▁were ▁dram at ized ▁in ▁H BO ' s ▁The ▁W ire , ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁an ▁over arch ing ▁theme ▁of ▁system ic ▁d ys function ▁in ▁institutions . ▁Indeed , ▁"[ o ] ne ▁of ▁the ▁central