Oakland Police spent $1.87 million on systems that were never used or underused ---  

An audit by Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby has revealed that at least $1.87 million was spent on police technology systems that were never used ($1.3 million) or underused ($0.5 million). The audit reviewed Oakland Police Department’s (OPD) purchasing and technology management during fiscal years 2006-07 through 2010-11, including the support services provided by the Department of Information Technology (DIT). The audit revealed that Oakland spent taxpayer dollars without appropriate due diligence to ensure its technology purchases would successfully meet Oakland’s public safety needs.

“Oakland is experiencing a public safety crisis, yet the City has drawn down our very limited financial resources on some police technology systems without significant benefit to the citizens of Oakland,” said City Auditor Ruby. “Purchasing any technology system requires careful planning and coordination; otherwise you end up just throwing money at a problem as this audit showed.”

“Depleted financial resources, systemic violence and poverty are just some of the many challenges to public safety that Oakland cannot directly control; however, successfully managing and coordinating its technology systems are certainly things the City can and should be doing,” said Auditor Ruby. “Because of this failure by management, Oakland must, once again, learn from its mistakes and attempt to move forward, with less resources and greater obstacles.”

The audit states that OPD did not thoroughly evaluate Oakland’s technology needs, such as comprehensively identifying services, hardware, software, or the reliability of vendors. It also states that OPD failed to track its systems after they were purchased, and that OPD lacked budgeting, management reporting, and a technology purchasing plan based on strategic objectives. The audit also states that, ‘the roles and responsibilities regarding OPD’s management of its technology were not clearly defined and that communication between OPD and DIT was ineffective’. The audit identified that neither OPD nor DIT has been complying with the City’s policies regarding purchasing, contracts and record retention; and that OPD did not provide appropriate training for its staff that is responsible for managing its technology systems and projects.

“OPD’s lack of knowledge of its own technology systems is unacceptable and brings increased concerns for a city struggling to initiate an effective public safety agenda,” concluded City Auditor Ruby.

In a news briefing on August 1, Oakland Police stated that the audit contained, “many recommendations that are sound and of value”, but also, “…a number of significant errors and omissions.”

According to Auditor Ruby’s office, City Administration has acknowledged the problems and agreed to implement all of the audit’s recommendations and to address the many issues identified within the audit. The City Administrator’s Office is planning to hire an Information Technology professional for the Police Department.