U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Audit Report

Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance

Police Hiring Supplement Grant to the Richmond Police Department

California

GR-90-98-038

September 1998

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, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to the Richmond Police Department (RPD), California. The RPD received a grant of $944,883 to hire 9 additional police officers under the Police Hiring Supplement (PHS) program. The purpose of the grant was to enhance community policing efforts.

In brief, our audit determined:

• The RPD supplanted the operating budgets for FYs 1995 through 1997 with PHS grant funds. The staffing level fell below the baseline sworn officer staffing number by nine positions for FY 1995, FY 1996, and FY 1997. The RPD charged the grant for sworn officer vacant positions, which resulted in unallowable costs of $944,883.

• The RPD did not enhance community policing activities with a number of sworn officers equal to the number of PHS grant-funded sworn officers.

The above items are discussed in the Findings and Recommendations section of the report. Our audit scope and methodology are described in Appendix II.

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