Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a report on awards totaling over $10 million to the Middle Atlantic - Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN) in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded the awards in 2018 and 2019 to assist the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) program in providing a variety of services and support to law enforcement agencies, including; a secure information sharing and communications system for regional information sharing between local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies, critical analytical and investigative support services, and event de-confliction to enhance officer safety. As of February 2020, MAGLOCLEN drew down a cumulative amount of $6.9 million.
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded that MAGLOCLEN demonstrated adequate progress toward achieving the grants’ stated law enforcement assistance goals. We determined that most expenditures charged to the grant were allowable, supported, and properly allocated in compliance with award requirements. However, we identified as unallowable $6,196 of expenditures used for ineligible services and for association fees.
The OIG made six recommendations to the OJP to improve the MAGLOCLEN’s management of grant progress and funds. The OJP agreed with all recommendations, while MAGLOCLEN agreed with all but two recommendations related to questioned expenditures for subrecipients in the amount of $2,000. As a result, the OJP is working with MAGLOCLEN to remedy $6,196 in questioned costs.