U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Audit Report

Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services

Lakeside Police Department

Lakeside, Colorado

GR-80-99-004

December 22, 1998

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Office of the Inspector General, Audit Division, has completed an audit of a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to the Lakeside Police Department, Lakeside, Colorado. The Lakeside Police Department received a grant of $74,190 to hire or rehire one sworn police officer under the Funding Accelerated for Smaller Towns (FAST) program. The purpose of the additional officer is to enhance community policing efforts.

Budgeted funds for police services and the number of officer hours budgeted increased each year since FY 1994, the year before the grant was initially awarded. Funds provided under this grant were used to enhance the Lakeside Police Department's community policing efforts. The number of officers performing community policing activities increased by the number of officers funded under this grant.

However, we found the following weaknesses with regard to meeting the grant conditions:

• Total program outlays were overstated by $2,654.
  
  
• COPS monitoring and Financial Status Reports were not submitted timely.

These items are discussed in the Findings and Recommendations section of the report. Our scope and methodology appear in Appendix I.

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