U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES

GRANTS TO THE HOOPA VALLEY TRIBAL POLICE DEPARTMENT

CALIFORNIA

GR-90-98-007

JANUARY 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 Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Department, California (HVTPD). The HVTPD received a grant of $73,640 to hire one sworn officer under Funding Accelerated for Smaller Towns (FAST); $328,268 to hire three sworn officers under the Universal Hiring Program (UHP); and $7,875 to purchase laptops under Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE). The purpose of the additional officers is to enhance community policing efforts.

Generally, HVTPD properly managed the COPS grants:

- Costs charged to the grants were in accordance with grant requirements. As of

September 30, 1997, HVTPD had requested reimbursement of about 60 percent of the allowable costs for the FAST grant and 100 percent of the allowable costs for the UHP grant. No costs had been incurred for the MORE grant.

- Budgeted funds for police services and the number of officers increased from the level of FY 1994, the baseline year for the FAST grant award.

- Funds provided under the grants were used to enhance HVTPD community policing efforts. The number of officers performing community policing activities increased by the number of officers funded under the grants.

However, HVTPD violated some grant conditions:

- The Financial Status Reports for the period March 1, 1995 through June 30, 1996, did not reflect the actual costs under the grant as shown on the general ledger.

- One of the required Financial Status Reports was not submitted and four Financial Status Reports were not submitted timely.

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