HEADLINE: Oxford police officials investigated; One is fired, one indicted; both over money discrepancies

OXFORD -- The news that an Oxford Police Department detective was terminated after funds at the station disappeared comes at an awkward time for the town.

"Unfortunately, we've had a bad year for that kind of thing up here in Granville County," said Oxford Police Chief John Wolford.

Warren Hicks, 36, was suspended without pay May 3 after Wolford and the Granville County District Attorney's Office discovered $12,220 missing from the property evidence room. A State Bureau of Investigation probe began, and Hicks was fired May 20. 

As property evidence officer for the department, Hicks had privileged access to funds seized in drug-related arrests.

Wolford said that Hicks came under suspicion at the beginning of May after money went missing and could not be immediately returned to a defendant placed on probation.

Wolford said he has been informed by the State Bureau of Investigation that embezzlement charges will be filed against Hicks, possibly by next week. 

Hicks could not be reached for comment.

The Oxford law enforcement community was already trying to recover from an embezzlement case that came to light last year.

Patricia Rue Gresham, 52, who worked as an administrator in the Granville County Sheriff's Department office from 1988 until last year, when she was fired under suspicion of embezzlement.

Gresham is accused of cashing checks totaling $33,261 from Pay Tel, a phone service for jail inmates, and $2,079 from Turner Snack Company, which owns vending machines in the Granville County Jail.

She is also accused of signing and presenting several checks to BB&T made payable to cash from the sheriff's special account fund, totaling $31,500. A SBI investigation concluded she did the same with $72,889 from the sheriff's fines and forfeiture account.

Gresham was indicted in April 2003 for felonious embezzlement, and a trial date may be set this summer.

Gresham has had three successive attorneys representing her. The first two withdrew from the case, citing potential conflicts of interest, and an inability to negotiate a plea agreement.

Gresham's current attorney is Thomas C. Manning of Raleigh, who was appointed by Superior Court Judge Robert H. Hobgood in December.

"Basically, everybody here has a conflict," said Michael P. Burnette, an Oxford attorney who represented Gresham until he withdrew in September 2003. "It's such a tiny place."

Manning said he is working with forensic accountants to "try to understand the numbers in this case." He declined to comment on his client's case at length.

Gresham's husband is an Oxford police officer. He has not been charged with any criminal activity, according to Granville County District Attorney Samuel B. Currin III.

Two Ford Mustangs and a Suzuki Sidekick belonging to the Greshams were auctioned by the county for about $20,000, to pay toward a nearly $140,000 judgment against Patricia Gresham in the civil case.

Granville County is also suing BB&T. A BB&T employee told the North Raleigh News Monday that the bank had no comment about the case.

According to Smith, Patricia Gresham's salary was $32,678.

Wolford said that Hicks, an Oxford police officer for seven years, made an annual salary of $30,900.

"That's not unusual at all in the northern tier of North Carolina," Wolford said. "In fact, we're one of the higher paid."

Still, he rejected the notion that low pay in Granville County or Oxford is relevant in either case.

"If you're looking for a reason why this happened, I think you're blowing smoke, frankly," Wolford said. "There is no reason for this. It isn't salary-oriented. If somebody wants to take money, they're going to take money."

HEADLINE: State police probe evidence missing from Middletown police department

DATELINE: MIDDLETOWN, R.I.

The state police have launched a probe into drugs missing from an evidence locker at the town's Police Department.

Police Chief William Burns told The Newport Daily News an undisclosed amount of marijuana disappeared from the secure evidence cabinet in the police station's patrol wing on May 17. 
When a search of the building did not turn up the drugs, seized the day before as part of a felony drug arrest, Burns said he notified the state police.

"Right now, the reason I called the state police in is because I think someone took it and it was most likely someone inside the department," Burns said.

Middletown Police Capt. Edward Tracy discovered the evidence was missing while he was preparing the drug case for court, Burns said.

The cabinet where evidence is stored is always locked, with a limited number of people having access to the key, Burns said. He would not comment on whether the cabinet showed signs of tampering.

HEADLINE: Use of prisoners at MSP barracks still suspended

SALISBURY -- Use of prison inmates at Maryland State Police stations statewide remain suspended to review policies that allowed three men to steal drugs and money from the Salisbury barracks evidence room in May. 

Sgt. Thornnie Rouse, MSP spokesman, said Wednesday that low-risk prison labor used for odd jobs -- a long-standing agreement with the state police and the Maryland Department of Corrections -- has not been active since a moratorium went into effect May 18. 

The move came after three inmates from the Poplar Hill Pre-Release Unit in Quantico were accused of stealing cocaine, marijuana and more than $3,000 while working at the Salisbury barrack days earlier. 

According to Wicomico County District Court documents, inmates Richard C. Harris, 45, Antonio L. Brown, 35, and Benard H. Thomas, 28, arrived at the facility on May 15 to clean and wax the floors. 

Using a key that Brown allegedly stole from a desk inside the barracks, Brown and Thomas are accused of allegedly illegally entering the evidence room and taking cash and drugs, according to court documents. Harris allegedly stood watch while it occurred and was given money by Brown, records stated. 

After the three men were returned to Poplar Hill, Brown gave Harris more money, court documents stated. 

Police said Harris was charged on May 19 -- the day he was to be released after serving seven years in a 10-year sentence on drug charges from Washington County. 

Brown and Thomas were served arrest warrants days later, police said. 

Police said the three men now face multiple charges of burglary. 

Two weeks after the incident, Rouse said they are still reviewing how they will use the inmate labor in the future. 

While not unprecedented, Department of Corrections officials said thefts by prison labor at the barracks are rare and most inmates who participate in the program are usually screened beforehand. 

HEADLINE: Lake Charles police turn in confiscated guns 

Guns that were confiscated and later distributed to Lake Charles police officers are the subject of a joint investigation by federal agents and police.

So far, police have turned in more than 100 handguns and rifles that were
confiscated in criminal cases.

During a news conference Thursday, Police Chief Don Dixon said an investigation began last month when he was contacted by an officer who said several weapons had been taken from his home during a burglary.

One of the weapons was a modified shotgun known as a "street sweeper," which has been a prohibited weapon for about 10 years, Dixon said. The officer also said he had a gun that had been confiscated and was given to him by the former
police chief, Dixon said.

The street sweeper was recovered during an investigation into the missing weapons that has resulted in 11 arrests on drugs and theft charges, Dixon said. The police chief said the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had joined the investigation. "I told them I wanted a complete, thorough investigation and to leave no
stone unturned no matter what. That is being done as we speak," Dixon said.

Dixon said he learned that confiscated weapons given to the department through a court order had been issued to different officers by former Police Chief Sam Ivey for personal use.

After Dixon called for officers to turn in the weapons, about 130 were returned to the department, including hunting rifles, shotguns and revolvers. The officer who made the initial report to Dixon has retired.

HEADLINE: Calcasieu Parish town's police official arrested

The evidence custodian of the Iowa Police Department was arrested and accused
of stealing drugs and paraphernalia that the department had seized in drug
arrests dating to 1998.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriffs deputies arrested Marvin Buxton, 43, on Friday. He
remained in the parish jail Saturday morning on charges of malfeasance in
office, obstruction of justice, theft, possession of marijuana and possession ofdrug paraphernalia.

Buxton's wife, Margaret, 41, was also booked with possession of marijuana and
paraphernalia. She was released on $1,000 bond.

The investigation began Friday morning after the town police department found
items missing from the evidence room. Iowa Police Chief Charles Ipes said he
asked the sheriff's office for help because he wanted an independent third party to investigate."  Everybody that could even possibly have access to the evidence room will be investigated including myself. I have already volunteered for my polygraph,"
Ipes said earlier before the arrest of the Buxtons.

HEADLINE: Middletown police officer under arrest  A Middletown patrolman has been charged with stealing marijuana seized by police during an arrest.

Patrolman Michael Braley was arraigned today on charges of larceny under 500-dollars, prohibited acts by a law enforcement official, obstruction of justice and marijuana possession. He was released on ten-thousand dollars personal recognizance. 

The 42-year-old Braley is accused of taking four bags of marijuana seized by police and stored in an evidence holding unit on May 16th. The alleged theft took place the following morning. 

Broadcast reports say Braley was NOT one of two police officers who had keys to the evidence room. 

Days later, Middletown Police Chief William Burns called for the state police to investigate when he learned the evidence was missing. 

HEADLINE: The state police have launched a probe into evidence missing from the town's Police Department. 

DATELINE: MIDDLETOWN, R.I.

The missing evidence was marijuana confiscated during a felony arrest, but neither state nor local officials would confirm that. 

Middletown Police Chief William Burns told The Providence Journal the investigation stems from an incident two weeks ago. 

Burns said he contacted state police Col. Steven Pare immediately after he discovered the evidence had gone missing two weeks ago. 

Town Administrator Gerald Kempen said the state police were in a better position to look into what happened, because "you need to have an objective investigation." 

HEADLINE: Destruction of evidence threatens 18 felony cases

BY LINE: Daily Telegram Staff Writer

ADRIAN -- Felony charges against 18 suspects in bad check cases, one drug case, an embezzlement case and one vandalism case may be dismissed due to Adrian Police Department evidence being destroyed by mistake.

The Lenawee County prosecutor's office is reviewing the files from 26 separate cases with destroyed evidence to determine if warrants should be canceled.

Prosecuting Attorney Irving Shaw said Wednesday he is writing to Chief Mike Martin to recommend court dismissal of the first six cases he has reviewed so far unless there is some way to recover evidence.

Shaw said he has also urged the Adrian Police Department to withdraw all 26 warrants from a nationwide police computer network.

None of the 18 suspects named in the warrants have been arrested in cases that date back as far as 1992, he said.

Martin said Wednesday he is making a public apology for the errors and trying to rebuild confidence in the department. "This detracts from the credibility of our agency. I want to apologize to our citizens, and we will regain the confidence we have lost," Martin said.

Martin said there was a flaw in the system he used to update the department's property room, which he said was badly overcrowded and poorly organized.

The mistaken destruction of evidence in some cases came to light in April when an officer sought material needed for a rape trial and learned it was gone. A first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge against Francisco Sanchez Jacques, 39, was dismissed. The suspect in a 2001 sex assault in Adrian was released from jail where he was held for six months after his arrest in Pasadena, Texas.

After that incident, Martin said he obtained a list of all outstanding warrants in Adrian Police Department cases and checked them against records of evidence destroyed during the property room reorganization.

He came up with 26 cases with destroyed evidence and contacted Shaw to ask for direction. Information in each of the cases was sent to Shaw's office on May 20 where he is reviewing one case at a time.

Shaw said he expects to complete the process as early as next week.

Martin said he believes the 26 cases, plus the rape case, are the only ones affected by the property room update that involved destroying about 3,000 pieces of evidence dating as far back as 1966. Records needed in some of the bad check cases may be available from banks or other sources, he said.

Martin emphasized that every piece of evidence that was in the property room is accounted for and nothing was lost.

"Nothing is misplaced. It's all documented that it's here or it's not here," Martin said.

Some evidence was mistakenly tagged for destruction, he said, when officers were assigned to review boxes of material.

In deciding if evidence was still needed, he said, the officers were to check the department's file and to check with the prosecutor's office and with the courts.

"Some of the officers didn't check all three locations," Martin said. Instead, only the department's case reports were reviewed and recommendations made to dispose of evidence that should have been kept.

That part of the reorganization process was completed in February, Martin said.

"From that date forward, we have a new system in place," he said. Steps involved in maintaining evidence in the new system, he said, will prevent a repetition of those mistakes.

HEADLINE: Officer Feared Flap Over Missing Drugs 

Dyer Officer Resigned Over Evidence Suspected Of Being Stolen By Trusties 

Not once, but twice has evidence gone missing in recent months from the Dyer Police Department, a resigning officer said Wednesday. 

John Grogan spoke out about why he turned in his letter of resignation Monday after seven years at the DPD.  The Board of Aldermen will consider that resignation at a meeting at 7 p.m.  Monday. 

Police Chief Scott Deaver confirmed an ongoing investigation Tuesday into the disappearance in late March of some marijuana, methamphetamine and an unidentified white powder that was being kept in Grogan's unlocked desk drawer.  Police suspect inmate trusties working around the department took the drugs. 

The missing drugs were tied to three cases.  There was a plea in one case, one was continued to June and the last was dismissed because of the missing evidence, Grogan said. 
But Deaver has failed to mention an initial theft of drugs in early February at the former DPD office on Maple Street, Grogan said. 

The cases tied to these drugs had already been disposed of in court, he added.  Inmate trusties also were suspected in that theft, Grogan said.  The fact is felony offenses occurred at the police department,'' Grogan said.  ''No reports were made, and we had no way of justifying where the drugs went.  In order to clear myself of any involvement, I notified the Gibson County District Attorney's office of the offenses and terminated my employment with the city of Dyer.'' 
There were never any internal reports on either theft and no documentation of an investigation on either incident, according to Grogan. 

''Being the drug officer for the city of Dyer, I'm responsible partly for the evidence that I seize, and I don't want to get in trouble,'' Grogan said.  ''I'm not going to be liable for evidence missing that I had nothing to do with.'' 

He spoke with the D.A.'s office in April.  Deaver confronted him about that visit last Tuesday, Grogan said.  The two had an argument that boiled down to a difference in opinion on department policy, he added.  Deaver said he wondered why Grogan had gone to the D.A.'s office when he'd already contacted the office in March about the drugs.   ''I went because it was known that the police department was broken into, but it wasn't known how many times,'' Grogan said.   Deaver confirmed the missing evidence from the February incident but said it amounted to a couple of pills that may have been a muscle relaxant.  They had been taken during a traffic stop from someone who didn't have a prescription for them. 

The pills were stolen from an evidence envelope that was in an open safe, Deaver said.  The safe was open because its contents were being moved to the new office, he added.  Deaver was not certain but believes there was documentation in the form of a short summary on the February incident.  There was definitely a complaint on the March incident, Deaver said.  Grogan was not around during the first incident, Deaver said.  He was away from the department on military leave with the National Guard and didn't return until the move was 99 percent complete. 
''John's a good officer, and he does a good job,'' Deaver said.  ''I'm not sure why this thing all came about.  I'm not sure why he resigned.  He wasn't under investigation.  It was just a mishap.'' 

District Attorney General Garry Brown said Wednesday he was aware of only one incident of drugs missing. 

''All I can say is that the investigation is ongoing and that it was reported to the sheriff's department as soon as it was discovered that the drugs were missing,'' Brown said.  ''If we can prove that drugs were stolen and if we can prove who stole them, then criminal charges will be filed.'' 

The police department dealt only with the Gibson County Sheriff's Department on the first incident because the evidence involved closed cases, Deaver said. 

The only reason Grogan was keeping drugs in his desk is that the evidence room at the new building had no lock.  It had been without a lock for a month and a half, Grogan said. 
The room did contain drug evidence from previous arrests, he added.  Still, he believed the drugs he and another officer had confiscated from recent arrests would be safer in his desk drawer. 
''I thought, if someone had the ability to walk directly in our evidence locker, why would they look in my drawer?'' Grogan said. 

The DPD moved completely from the old building to the new one in February, Grogan said.  Inmates helped throughout the move. 

Inmates would be picked up in the morning and taken to the old and new buildings to do unsupervised work, Grogan said.  The officer on duty would check on them occasionally throughout the day until they were taken back to the jail in the evening, he added. 
Deaver disputed that, saying that there was so much to be done during the move that the entire department was there. 

Deaver has said that near the time of the March theft, there were instances when inmates were working and the officer on duty had to be away a few minute on calls. 
Trusties are supposed to be supervised at all times, Sheriff Joe Shepard said Wednesday. 
In the February incident, police weren't even aware that drugs were missing until a sheriff's department investigator called and said inmates were saying a trusty had stolen drugs. 
It was then that the evidence locker was checked, Grogan said.  They found drugs were missing from an evidence envelope that had been cut open, he added.  He said that he was told some meth was missing. 

Deaver confirmed only that pills were taken, from one envelope that had a bottom corner removed.  Grogan also mentioned an attempted break-in of a weapons safe during the March drug theft incident.  A locksmith had to be called to repair it, he said. 
Deaver confirmed that, adding that it appeared someone had tried to pry the safe open with a screwdriver.  No weapons were taken, he said. 

HEADLINE: Judge keeps high bail for drug suspect 

Link to Article

DELAND -- Timothy W. Wallace made almost no eye contact with the judge Thursday afternoon during his first appearance in court.

Clad in an orange jumpsuit and bound by handcuffs and shackles, the former Sheriff's Office evidence manager said little as County Judge Mary Jane Henderson ordered his $300,000 bail to stand.

Wallace, 47, faces charges of conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana. The first-degree felony charges carry a maximum 30-year penalty.

Wallace's attorney, Brett Hartley, argued Wallace had no criminal history before these charges and has strong family ties to the area. He said the high bail was tantamount to no bail.

"This whole concept he's a drug trafficker with tons of money is preposterous," Hartley said after leaving the Volusia County Branch Jail.

Hartley said he would file for a bond hearing early next week.

Wallace's parents and siblings attended his first appearance, but refused to comment as they left the jail. Jerry Wallace, Timothy's father, said Wednesday his son was innocent.

Timothy Wallace is accused of stealing nearly 900 grams of cocaine and 370 pounds of marijuana from the Volusia County Sheriff's evidence compound and then putting those drugs back on the street. In an arrest affidavit, several men said they received drugs, directly or indirectly, from Wallace and that he took them from evidence.

HEADLINE: Hollister police chief pleads guilty to stealing

FORSYTH, Mo. - Former Hollister Police Chief George Stevens has pleaded guilty to stealing almost $7,000 from his own department.

Stevens, a 10-year veteran of the department who was hired as chief in 1996, resigned from the department shortly after being charged in January with two counts of felony stealing. He entered his guilty plea Monday.

Stevens, who reportedly confessed to the thefts soon after they were discovered, did not strike a plea agreement, said Taney County prosecutor Rodney Daniels. Stevens faces up to seven years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

City officials in January asked the Missouri Highway Patrol to investigate after discovering that $4,300 in cash bond money was missing from the city jail. Investigators found another $2,600 missing from the police department's evidence room.

HEADLINE: Drugs, guns, money went out property room door; records sloppy, state auditors find

BY LINE: Chris Conley

More than $2 million worth of cocaine along with 560 pounds of marijuana, 66 guns and a small fortune in cash vanished from the Memphis Police property and evidence room, a state audit released Tuesday shows. 

Federal prosecutors say the loot was carted out the property room's back door and sold. 

Numerous city workers and accused drug dealers face federal charges. One Memphis lawyer has been charged with laundering profits through his firm. 

The comptroller's report found that property room accounting was so sloppy that the stolen amounts could even be higher than auditors suggested. 

A scathing 1999 audit found many of the same lapses and warned of future problems. Police officials promised reforms and hired Jay Liner to clean up the operation in December 2000. 

He's since been charged with stealing guns, jewelry, golf clubs and bottles of champagne from the room. 

Dennis Dycus, who supervised Tuesday's audit, called the 1999 audit the "tip of the iceberg," and Tuesday's audit the iceberg itself. 

Walter Crews was interim police director or director from December 1999 until March 2003, when James Bolden succeeded him. The property room holds evidence used for trials, as well as seized weapons. 

When it is no longer needed, it's supposed to be destroyed. 
But high-value items slated for destruction were routinely siphoned off. And there was little oversight to ensure those items were in fact destroyed, the audit concluded. 

Auditors found: 

• There was no policy manual. 
• Too many workers had access to evidence, and storage was inadequate. 
• Inadequate procedures for destroying contraband weapons and drugs. 
• Clerks could alter property room records, making thefts possible. 
• $147,218 in cash couldn't be found, even though records showed it was still in the property room. 

The auditors recommend the department create an independent team to oversee drug and weapon disposal, something the police brass have promised to do. 

Memphis Police Deputy Director Ray Schwill vowed Tuesday to make the property room a model for other cities. 

Once the audit began in September 2003, the department shut down the facility in the Shelby County Jail basement, and worked out of temporary quarters, he said. 

Also since the audit, hand-picked officers with demonstrated integrity have been in charge of logging in and destroying evidence, Schwill said. "I was shocked, as I believe everyone was," at the scope of the thefts, he said. 

Surveillance and computer equipment to document every transaction is in place. Outside auditors will check everything. Every bit of property will be bar-coded. Clerks' access to evidence will be limited, he said. "No one person will have too much authority," he said. 

Michael Heidingsfield, head of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, called the report "damning." "These issues are five years old," he said, "and they involve fundamental police policies." 

The revelation that there was no policy manual is "unimaginable," he said. A drug investigation that began with a drug courier's arrest in April 2003 led police and federal agents to the property room. 

An Atlanta man who pleaded guilty in federal court Monday told police he got drugs from former property room employee Patrick Maxwell. 

Maxwell awaits trial. 

Former property room supervisor Kenneth Dansberry, who pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges, told agents he lost track of how much he and others stole. 

He once sold 10 kilograms of cocaine off the loading dock, he said. 

He had so much money that stacks of it stored in his home grew mold. 

Two employees, Alnita Campbell and Jacqueline Layrock, await trial on charges they took more than $100,000 in hush money from Dansberry. 

They're also accused of several thefts, including swiping $30,000 and destroying evidence envelopes to hide the theft. 

After last fall's indictments, the case expanded to include Memphis lawyer Scott Crawford.  Crawford, already facing charges of trying to fix several criminal cases for high-ranking gang members, is charged with laundering property-room drug profits through his law firm. 

HEADLINES: Teens Accused Of Stealing From Police Department Evidence Room

EATONVILLE, Fla. -- Juveniles broke into an evidence room and stole guns, drugs and money, all while they were supposed to be performing community service. Now, three teenagers are under arrest and a police explorer is being questioned.

Eatonville police say they broke into the evidence room while helping the town move to a new building. Channel 9 has learned the teenagers got their hands on drugs, money, and guns. They were helping cops move out of one building and into a new one.

Now, even the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is involved in the investigation surrounding the Eatonville Police Department's security.

The evidence room at the police department is locked up tight, but it didn't keep the three teens, ages 13 to 15, out. Even a police explorer was somehow involved.

"At the same time, while not being supervised, they managed to find keys," says Captain Eugene Arrington.

The keys were left out in the open on a desk. Capt. Arrington says it all happened the first week of June.

Officers were moving out of the old Eatonville police building and into a new one. At one point, the police explorer was in charge of the other three kids who were doing community service because of prior arrests.

"We kind of gave him a little bit of authority," says Capt. Arrington.

After apparently trying a screwdriver, the keys were found and the evidence lock-up at the old department was opened. Police say the teens stole $360 in cash, possibly drug money, three guns and a small bag of mixed drugs.

"Maybe a little bit of marijuana, a little bit of cocaine, maybe a blunt," comments Capt. Arrington.

No one knew anything until this week, after police say the suspects started bragging on the street. Now changes in security have to be made while police wonder how this could've happened.

"Very disappointed," says Capt. Arrington. "Bring this kind of embarrassment to the Eatonville Police Department."

Even Capt. Arrington admits he's part of an internal investigation now.

Detectives are still out looking to arrest two of the teens. One is already in the juvenile lock-up. Police are still trying to determine if the explorer will be arrested.

EDITORIAL: Property room fix is long overdue - Editorial

Link to Article

IF THERE had been no warnings of trouble ahead, the Memphis Police Department's unprofessional approach toward the operation of its property and evidence room would be easier to accept. 

Shoddy practices continued, however, after state auditors warned in 1999 that the operation had weaknesses that threatened its security. They continued after internal auditors with the city of Memphis issued similar warnings in 2001 and 2002. A new manager was hired to fix the situation - and later indicted for allegedly stealing property from the room. 

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The most recent state audit, performed after an investigation of the unit was launched in the fall of 2002, "determined that many of the weaknesses previously brought to management's attention still existed," state auditors reported this week. "Unless management takes action to address these weaknesses, the (property and evidence room) will continue to be susceptible to losses." 

The losses we know about are alarming enough: Between Jan. 1, 2000, to Sept. 30, 2003, the period covered by the audit, at least 116.6 kilograms of cocaine worth $2,332,408 disappeared, along with 559.8 pounds of marijuana estimated at $447,876, $147,218 in cash and at least 66 firearms. 

Police Director James Bolden served as deputy director under police director Walter Crews during most of the period covered by the audit. He told auditors that the recommended changes will be made: Clerks will no longer be able to alter data they have entered on the computer used to keep track of the property room inventory; a surveillance camera will be maintained by a separate department; an independent unit, rather than property room personnel, will destroy property when destruction is called for; the department will complete an annual inventory; metal detectors and security fencing will be installed to limit access to property; unclaimed property will go to the state treasurer's office. 

Changes to enhance security, in fact, have been in place since the audit began, police officials say. 

Many of these changes are mandated by state law, however. How methods that should have been standard came to be ignored at the police department's property room is a question that throws the competence of police administrators into question. 

How could such highly risky procedures be tolerated for so long in an operation with as many temptations as a police property room, with its rich lode of drugs, firearms and other valuable property, not to mention cash confiscated from suspected traffickers? 

That there were problems in the property room has been public knowledge since last September, when indictments were issued charging the first of four current and former property room employees who have been connected to the disappearance of drugs and money. 

One suspect had more than $1 million in his possession when local and federal agents searched his golf course home and one of his five cars. Confiscated as a result of the investigation: four properties in Memphis, Olive Branch and the Atlanta area worth $1.75 million, $2.4 million in cash and 29 vehicles, ranging from Fords and Mercedes-Benzes to Freightliner trucks. 

This March bribery and money laundering charges were filed against defense lawyer Scott Crawford, a substitute judge in General Sessions who was accused of helping members of the Gangster Disciples street gang steal and resell drugs from the evidence room. 

While those revelations were shocking, the scope of the problem wasn't revealed until this week when auditors issued their final report and a set of recommendations for sweeping change. 

While it is comforting to know that changes are being made, it is distressing to learn how long the thievery must have gone on and how little was done to prevent it from happening. Oversight clearly was lacking for an extended period of time. 

Such amateurish mistakes in a city department as important as the police should not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of every employee of the police department, including its civilian as well as its commissioned personnel. But they can only serve to undermine public confidence in the Herenton administration as a whole.

HEADLINE: Man breaks into police headquarters

RANLO, N.C. -- Ranlo police are on the lookout for a burglar who boldly broke into their own headquarters early Monday morning.

The male suspect entered through the back office window of Chief T.S. Anderson, ransacked the chief’s desk and found a key to the evidence room. 

From the evidence room, the burglar stole a pound of marijuana, a handgun and a police radio.

Police believe the suspect shot out a street light behind the building. The only officer on duty at the time spotted the suspect leaving and pursued him on foot. During the chase, the burglar dropped the items he stole.

“It didn't surprise me that it happened,” Anderson said Tuesday. “But on the other hand, if they'll break into the police department, they'll go anywhere they want to.”

The burglar also stole a walkie-talkie and $1,000 in confiscated drug money. 

Police believe the suspect shot out a street light behind the building. The officer on duty heard a couple of shots before the chase but found nothing.

The burglar ransacked the desk of Police Chief T.S. Anderson. Police said the suspect is a white male that stands 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11 and weighs 160-185 pounds. He was wearing an orange and red cap with a dark blue shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Ranlo Police Department at (704) 866-3300.

Anderson said that to prevent another burglary, the department is going to add bars to their windows.