U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

 OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES

GRANTS TO THE CITY OF COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT

COLUMBUS, OHIO

Award Numbers 95-CL-WX-0063, 95-CC-WX-0308 and 96-CL-WX-0067

Audit Report Number GR-50-98-025

September 24, 1998

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Office of the Inspector General, Audit Division, has completed an audit of two grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to the Columbus, Ohio, Police Department (CPD). The CPD received a grant of $2,850,000 to hire or rehire 38 additional sworn police officers under the Accelerated Hiring, Education, and Deployment (AHEAD) program and a supplemental award of $1,350,000 under the Universal Hiring Program (UHP) to hire or rehire 18 additional sworn police officers. In addition, it received two awards totalling $243,030 under the Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) program to redeploy 27.7 full time equivalent (FTEs) police officers. This audit focused on the AHEAD and initial MORE grants, as no funds had been requested or expended under the UHP or second MORE award.

In brief, our audit determined the CPD used grant funds in accordance with grant requirements and to enhance the CPD's community policing efforts. The number of officers performing community policing activities increased by the number of officers funded under the grants.

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