NCJ Number
250494
Date Published
December 2016
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This audit by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, examined the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative $1,909,124 cooperative agreement awarded by the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to the City of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee.
Abstract
The objectives of this audit were to determine whether costs claimed under the award were allowable, supported, and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and terms and conditions of the award; and to determine whether the City of Memphis demonstrated adequate progress towards achieving program goals and objectives. To accomplish these objectives, performance in the following areas of award management was assessed: program performance, financial management, expenditures, budget management and control, drawdowns, and federal financial reports. It was concluded that the City of Memphis generally managed the award appropriately and demonstrated adequate progress towards achieving the award's stated goals and objectives. It shipped 1,028 sexual assault kits to laboratories for analysis, presented monthly updates to the city council, and conducted a summit for cities committed to clearing their backlogs and sharing best practices. Further, this audit did not identify significant concerns regarding the City of Memphis's award expenditures, its management of the award budget, drawdowns, or federal financial reports. However, we found that the city did not comply with essential award conditions related to award financial management. Specifically, the city did not follow its own policy regarding accountability for overtime worked by city staff.