U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

 

Audit Report

 

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES

GRANTS TO THE WATSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

CALIFORNIA

GR-90-98-011

MARCH 1998

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

The Office of the Inspector General, Audit Division, has completed an audit of three grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to the City of Watsonville Police Department (WPD), California. The WPD received a grant of $150,000 to hire 2 sworn officers under the Funding Accelerated for Smaller Towns (FAST), $565,718 to hire 4 sworn officers under the Universal Hiring program (UHP), and $91,425 to redeploy 3.5 sworn officer full-time equivalents (FTEs) into community policing under the Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) program for 1995. The purpose of the additional officers under each of the grant programs is to enhance community policing efforts.

In brief, our audit determined that the WPD violated the following grant conditions:

- The WPD overcharged the FAST grant for unallowable uniform allowance ($512) and bilingual pay ($863). Total questioned costs were $1,375.

- The WPD was unable to demonstrate the redeployment of 3.5 sworn officers (FTEs) from the purchase of computer equipment charged to the MORE 95 grant. This resulted in unsupported costs (questioned cost) of $55,353.

- The WPD submitted an erroneous reimbursement request which resulted in a $11,246 overpayment to the FAST grant.

- Financial Status Reports for the FAST and MORE 95 grants were not submitted timely.

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