U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Audit Report

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

Grants to the Fort Worth, Texas Police Department

GR-80-98-040

September 25, 1998

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Office of the Inspector General, Audit Division, has completed an audit of the grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to the Fort Worth, Texas, Police Department. The Police Department received a Phase I grant for $1.5 million to hire 20 officers to enhance community policing. They also received a Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) '95 grant for $248,406 to purchase equipment and to hire 12 civilian personnel to redeploy 11.3 and 6.9 full-time equivalents (FTEs) into community policing.

We found the following weaknesses with regard to meeting grant conditions:

• The Fort Worth Police Department did not have a plan to track the redeployment of officers nor the time expended by officers performing community policing duties under the MORE '95 grant. Thus, we are questioning $199,271.

• The Fort Worth Police Department received $49,135 in excess of the allowable Federal share of the MORE '95 grant.

• Overtime and equipment costs totaling $152,090 were improperly included in total program costs which resulted in the Financial Status Report of the Phase I grant "total outlays" amount to be inaccurate.

• The Fort Worth Police Department did not submit the Officer Progress Reports or an Annual Department Report for the Phase I grant.

#####