New York agency investigating Kerik

NEW YORK – The City Department of Investigation has launched a probe into ethical breaches committed by Bernard Kerik, the city’s former top cop.

The inquiry – one of two confronting Kerik – will explore numerous ethical lapses revealed this week after Kerik’s nomination to become the nation’s homeland security czar collapsed.

The New York Daily News disclosed that Kerik broke rules on accepting gifts, developed close ties with an allegedly mob-linked city contractor and maintained a secret downtown apartment for simultaneous extramarital liaisons with two women.

The Department of Investigation released a statement Thursday night saying it would make no further comments until it could digest “a matter that began four years ago that involves many people who are no longer in city government.”