Mr. Mack was replaced by Chief Kelleher, who previously held posts as an administrator in the narcotics and organized crime bureaus.

Until the crime bureau's Web site has more complete listings, consumers can research whether a vehicle was ever registered in counties declared a federal emergency disaster area by entering the VIN at www.carfax.com/flood.

The bill would also undercut the commissioner's authority, they contended, and would create morale problems by affecting only the organized crime bureau and the detective bureau.

"We wanted to minimize the chance of violence," said T. K. Chan, the chief superintendent in charge of the organized crime bureau.

About two years later, the squads were moved to the organized crime bureau.

Even state officials like Mr. Batzelis of the crime bureau warned that a blanket ban was "no panacea" for the country's gambling epidemic.

Chief Kelleher briefly served in the Internal Affairs Bureau, between December 1993 and February 1994, after long stints in the narcotics and organized crime bureaus.

The changes, he said, included giving the police commissioner six months to transfer individual sergeants and lieutenants out of the organized crime bureau if the commissioner determined that they did not deserve a promotion.

The legislation would have affected 432 sergeants and 176 lieutenants in the detective and organized crime bureaus.

In 1998, the crime bureau says, 161,499 cars were reported stolen from those cities.