Lax oversight of federal law enforcement grants tied up hundreds of millions of dollars for eight years and potentially shortchanged state and local crime-fighting programs, the Justice Department inspector general said today, reports the Associated Press. An investigation found that leftover money from thousands of expired grants between October 1997 and December 2005 was unused because officials failed to keep close track of the programs after they ended.
At issue is the way three Justice Department offices manage grants for state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. The inspector general has repeatedly raised concerns with the department’s oversight of the programs, which managed $25 billion in grants during the eight-year period.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/03/AR2007010300696.html