U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES

GRANTS TO THE COLTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, CALIFORNIA

GR-90-98-005

FEBRUARY 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 Colton Police Department (CPD), California. The CPD received a grant of $351,424 to hire or rehire 2 additional sworn police officers under the Universal Hiring Program (UHP), and $36,006 to redeploy 1.44 full-time equivalents (FTEs) into community policing under the Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) program. The purpose of the additional officers under each of the grant programs is to enhance community policing efforts.

Generally, the CPD properly implemented the community policing efforts described in its applications. However, the CPD violated some grant conditions:

-     One of the officers hired under the UHP grant was subsequently transferred to a nongrant position. However, he continued to be paid with grant funds for three pay periods after the transfer. We questioned the $5,346 in salary and fringe benefits paid to the officer no longer working on the UHP grant.

- Another officer hired under the UHP grant was transferred from another law enforcement agency. He was not paid at the entry level rate specified in the grant award documents. We questioned the $1,140 in salary and fringe benefit payments exceeding the specified entry level rate.

- The CPD applied for a waiver of the 25 percent matching of funds requirement for the UHP grant. They received both an approval and a denial of the waiver, neither dated. Documented clarification of the conflict was not provided. Under these circumstances, we concluded no waiver had been granted and questioned $8,763 (25 percent of the $35,051 in otherwise allowable expenditures).

- Financial Status reports were not submitted for three quarters for the UHP grant.

#####