New York Inspector General Finds COPS CARE Misused State Funds
New York Inspector General Finds COPS CARE Misused State Funds
A 2013 report by New York state's Inspector General (IG) concluded that COPS CARE , an organization consisting of policemen and prison guards, misused tens of thousands of dollars in state grant money. The IG also found that the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) granted unauthorized paid leave to jail guards, and that COPS CARE employees used program equipment for personal purposes. The IG concluded that the underlying reason for the rampant corruption was that the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) failed to properly monitor grant money awarded to the COPS CARE organization.
In 1999 the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCO-PBA) created a nonprofit community outreach organization to help children, seniors, and infirm citizens. The organization was called Correction Officers and Police Supporting Children through Awareness and Reality Based Education (“COPS CARE”). NYSCO-PBA provided start-up funds and sought grant money to get COPS CARE off the ground. They also worked out an agreement with the DOCCS for guards to leave their regular job to conduct COPS CARE programs using “union leave” time. Under the terms of the original agreement COPS CARE could use an unlimited amount of leave time for employees participating in COPS CARE activities.
In 2003 COPS CARE separated from NYSCO-PBA and became an independent, nonprofit entity. Its newly elected board of directors consisted of union officers and jail guards. Under a new agreement called “release time” the DOCCS allowed guards to substitute COPS CARE activities for actual work hours. Guards getting release time were supposed to submit an event form documenting the meeting attended and mileage traveled. The IG found that documentation was sloppy and sporadic.
COPS CARE requested and received a $300,000 grant from the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for the 2006-2007 year. Personnel expenditures for that year were $209,997. They received another grant for the same amount for 2007-2008. The 2007 cost for personnel jumped to $275,544. The DCJS also issued an additional grant of $2,500 in February 2008 because COPS CARE ran short of funds. At one point, when COPS CARE had squandered all of its funds, DOCCS Commissioner Brian Fischer authorized guards to use 400 paid staff days while exempting COPS CARE from their requirement to reimburse the DOCCS for the $82,000 in wages. Fischer later admitted to the IG that he did not have the authority to approve the exemption.
In light of the IG's findings, COPS CARE has reimbursed the DOCCS a total of $54,689.64, though still not the full amount owed. Employees involved in COPS CARE events are prohibited from wearing DOCCS uniforms, logos or anything that identifies affiliation with DOCCS.
The IG also faults the DOCCS for not properly overseeing the use of grant money given to COPS CARE.
Source: Inspector General's Report Titled: Ivestigation of the COPS CARE Program and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Suprevision, November 2013