Auditors with the Justice Department’s Inspector-General say Newark, NJ, officials improperly used every penny of a $2.8 million Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) plus most of an addition $987,000 in local funds.
The DOJ-IG’s lengthy list of deficiencies in how Newark officials spent the COPS funds unusually blunt and deserves being quoted at length:
“We examined Newark’s accounting records, financial and progress reports, and operating policies and procedures and found the deficiencies below resulting in net questioned costs totaling $3,539,432.
?* Newark significantly changed the scope of the grant project without prior written approval from COPS.
?* Newark did not achieve the performance objectives related to voice communications funded by the grant.
?* Newark purchased wireless network equipment and services totaling $2,777,569 that were not procured using a competitive process or approved for purchase under the New Jersey State Cooperative Purchasing program, which is in violation of grant regulations requiring competition.
* Newark’s pre-existing relationship with the vendor of its $626,221 mobile communications command center vehicle likely hindered an open and competitive bid process.
* Newark claimed reimbursements for surveillance cameras totaling $62,325 which COPS denied in Newark’s original grant application proposal.
* Newark claimed reimbursements totaling $73,316 for a record management system and other computer equipment not related to the grant project.
* Newark did not adequately record and safeguard equipment purchased with grant funds.
* Newark’s Financial Status Reports were not always timely and its Progress Report did not accurately reflect the status of the project.
* Newark’s internal controls were ineffective in preventing or detecting noncompliance with a number of grant requirements.”
Other than that, everything was just fine!
Newark Mayor Cory Booker has gained some notoriety in recent days by appearing as the foil in a YouTube vignette with Gov. Chris Christie. Both men might want to pay a bit more attention to the workings back in the office.
Mark Tapscott is executive editor of The Washington Examiner.
