This week, a veteran NYPD officer distraught over being called to testify in the ticket-fixing scandal which has engulfed the police force attempted (but failed) to commit suicide. Officer Robert McGee, who is currently at North Central Bronx Hospital because of burns from clutching the third rail, is telling friends that he's "ashamed of this whole thing." One source close to McGee told the News, "He said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. He's 62, with 30 years [on the job] and an unblemished record, and to go out like this is not the way to retire. You want to retire the way you came in, with pride."

Despite facing no criminal charges himself, McGee, a union delegate assigned to the 43rd Precinct, was distraught over having to testify against fellow officers who fixed tickets for family, friends or profit. A Bronx police source said that other cops have become despondent and depressed as the probe has dragged on for months and charged have built up: "The mental health of some of these guys has become an issue [for prosecutors]." Another source said that the overriding emotion was slightly more aggressive: "most guys are pissed...They're like, 'Indict me already and let the truth come out.'"

As of now, it's unclear whether prosecutors will still call McGee to testify on the stand if/when there's a trial: "It's tricky. They don't want to lose their witness, so they're going to have to handle this with kid gloves."