D.C. police officials can’t account for thousands of dollars in cash or receipts from nearly 200 misdemeanor cases that were supposed to help support the city’s victims compensation fund, The Examiner has learned.
City officials have opened an internal investigation to determine what happened to the money, Attorney General Peter Nickles confirmed.
“At a minimum, it certainly raises questions about their bookkeeping and accounting practices,” said Councilwoman Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3. “And we’ve got to get to the bottom of it.”
People who are arrested for minor crimes, like drinking in public or having expired license plates, can pay small fines and then be released. The money is supposed to be handed over to the D.C. Superior Court, which in turn gives it to victims of serious crimes in the District.
Records obtained by The Examiner show, however, that cash or receipts from at least 181 cases have gone missing since July 2008. The number may well grow because authorities have just begun to review the system, internal records show and a source familiar with the ongoing internal investigation said.
Until last year, court officials couldn’t access D.C. police records to make sure the victims fund was getting all the money it was supposed to, according to a city memo obtained by The Examiner. In July, the two agencies got in sync, and the courts have been conducting monthly reviews.
Officials from the courts, police department and attorney general’s office huddled together on May 20 to discuss the burgeoning problem, according to the city memo.
“The Superior Court is working with the Metropolitan Police Department on the process for post and forfeit cases, with a goal of a fully automated system,” courts spokeswoman Leah Gurowitz said in an e-mail.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The police department has never been subject to a forensic audit, finance office spokesman David Umansky said. Forensic audits focus on rooting out fraud, waste and abuse.
On average, cash or receipts disappeared 23 times per month between July 2008 and February 2009, records show. The incidents spiked just before Christmas. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, cash or receipts went missing 35 times, records show.
“It may involve a small amount of money, but it’s desperately needed in the victims compensation fund,” said Cheh, a former prosecutor. “We shouldn’t even be a dollar short.”
