Poor Evidence Handling In Albany Da’s Office

[Night Owl]

FOR RELEASE:
Immediately
April 13, 2005

POOR EVIDENCE HANDLING IN ALBANY DA’S OFFICE
Drugs, Guns and Thousands of Dollars Left in Safe for Decades or Missing;
Hevesi and Soares Available to Speak to Media at 4:00 Today in DA's Office


As a result of poor recordkeeping and management, evidence sat in a safe in the Albany District Attorney’s personal office for as long as 30 years instead of being returned to the proper owners or being properly disposed of, according to a review released today by Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi.

State auditors found more than $65,000 in cash and checks, various drugs, two guns, assorted jewelry, documents and other personal items in the safe that had been there since as far back as 1975. Another $25,000, jewelry and an unknown amount of coins and checks were not found even though records indicate that those items should have been there. The Comptroller’s office review was started in January at the request of the newly-elected District Attorney David Soares.

“Over the years, the Albany District Attorney’s Office did not properly document, safeguard and dispose of money and other confiscated property from cases. This is particularly disturbing considering that some of this property included drugs, guns and large amounts of cash. We have no evidence of wrongdoing, but clear evidence of sloppy management,” Hevesi said. “I commend District Attorney David Soares for his efforts to address this matter immediately and will work with him to establish a system to appropriately account for seized property.”

“Public integrity begins at home. When I learned about the safe and its contents, I immediately called in the Comptroller’s Office to perform a review of its contents," Soares said. "I want to thank Comptroller Hevesi and his staff for their professionalism and cooperation. They have made a number of valuable recommendations regarding the handling of evidence which we are implementing. They have also agreed to continue their work to resolve the discrepancies that this initial review has uncovered."

After reviewing internal inventory lists and other spreadsheets for various cases, State auditors found that while most of the items in the safe were received prior to 2000, ten items totaling $19,801 had been added to the safe in the last four years.

Auditors determined that at least 19 items were missing from the safe, including $25,625 in cash. Items from another 15 cases, which included drugs, jewelry and $1,619, were in the safe but had not been properly inventoried. Although another 29 items had supposedly been returned to the rightful owners according to notations on the spreadsheet, no receipts could be found to confirm that these items had, in fact, been returned.

Auditors recommended that the District Attorney’s Office establish a system for accounting for and storing property, and inventory evidence on a regularly scheduled basis. To reduce the chance of theft, auditors recommended that at least two staff people should be present for all counting and verification of evidence and that extra security measures should be put in place to handle large dollar amounts or sensitive items, such as guns and drugs. Auditors also suggested that existing property currently being held should be returned to the rightful owners as each case is closed.

http://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/rel...r05/041305.htm

[Night Owl]

Come on guys/gals, this should be a hot topic by now.

Let's review...

State auditors found more than $65,000 in cash and checks, various drugs, two guns, assorted jewelry, documents and other personal items in the safe that had been there since as far back as 1975.

Another $25,000, jewelry and an unknown amount of coins and checks were not found even though records indicate that those items should have been there.

“Over the years, the Albany District Attorney’s Office did not properly document, safeguard and dispose of money and other confiscated property from cases. This is particularly disturbing considering that some of this property included drugs, guns and large amounts of cash. We have no evidence of wrongdoing, but clear evidence of sloppy management,” Hevesi said.

After reviewing internal inventory lists and other spreadsheets for various cases, State auditors found that while most of the items in the safe were received prior to 2000, ten items totaling $19,801 had been added to the safe in the last four years.

Auditors determined that at least 19 items were missing from the safe, including $25,625 in cash. Items from another 15 cases, which included drugs, jewelry and $1,619, were in the safe but had not been properly inventoried. Although another 29 items had supposedly been returned to the rightful owners according to notations on the spreadsheet, no receipts could be found to confirm that these items had, in fact, been returned.

To reduce the chance of theft, auditors recommended that at least two staff people should be present for all counting and verification of evidence and that extra security measures should be put in place to handle large dollar amounts or sensitive items, such as guns and drugs.