NCJ Number
139754
Date Published
1992
Length
38 pages
Annotation
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) visited 1 State law enforcement agency, 1 multiagency task force, and 13 local agencies to determine how they have used and accounted for shared assets received during forfeitures, whether applicable laws and program guidance establish use requirements for shared assets, and what is the nature and extent of program oversight in this area.
Abstract
The State and local agencies visited used the shared assets for a wide range of purposes including, inter alia, officer salaries and overtime, vehicle leases, computers and software, drug education, informant payments, off-site undercover facilities, police dogs, undercover investigation costs, crime lab equipment, weapons, and communications and surveillance equipment. Fourteen of the agencies received asset sharing funds from the Department of Justice, while 9 received funds from both Justice and the U.S. Customs Service. In many cases, GAO could not determine whether these purposes were in compliance with Justice and Customs guidelines. In several cases, these two agencies could not agree whether a specific use of shared assets was proper. State and local officials suggested that asset sharing program guidance needed clarification in terms of appropriate and inappropriate uses, penalties imposed on abusers, and regular Federal auditing. GAO recommended that the Attorney General and Customs Commissioner work jointly to develop mutually agreeable guidelines for asset sharing, with a particular emphasis on defining concepts including "law enforcement purposes" and "supplanting of resources." 1 table, 2 figures, and 2 appendixes