Audit looks at sheriff's department procedures

The first few days city auditor Steve Wolkomir visited the Carson City Detention Center to review procedures, he witnessed two attempted suicides.

He watched as jailers reacted to the crisis situations and noted that two to six employees are not enough to take care of the demands of 137 inmates on a regular basis.

An internal audit of the Carson City Sheriff's Department detailed the risks of the small number of detention workers as part of 92 recommendations for improving cost savings, efficiency and results.

But first, the report showed newly elected Sheriff Kenny Furlong's administration was meeting all that is required by state statute as a county law enforcement agency.

"That's No. 1," Furlong said. After that finding, the audit focused on actions the department could take to save money or improve service.

There were "no outrageous kinds of things in this report in any shape or form," Wolkomir said.

City supervisors approved the audit report Wednesday. Mayor Ray Masayko complimented Furlong on it.

The auditor applauded the administration's progress on a data system set to go online July 1. The CompStat system will measure selected areas of interest to give the department detailed information about key issues, like what types of crimes occur where and when.

It will allow the department to put the right people in the right location and improve service or efficiency, Furlong said.

The city spent about $900,000 in 2001 on Tiburon, a computer-aided dispatch system that took the city from a 1980s-era computer system operated in a converted garage to a state-of-the-art system in a new, $600,000 dispatch center.

Supervisors agreed to spend about $718,000 more than in 2002 -- $840,000 with contingency funds -- on records and jail management systems. The CompStat system will work with the other systems to compile data.

"We will now be able to show how well we perform for community," he said. "The crime rates in the community are not reflective of how well a department is performing. This Tiburon system has the ability to provide us with data where we can adjust to crime and reallocate resources throughout the community."

For instance, if the northern sector has a higher crime rate on Saturdays during the late-night shift, the department would reallocate resources to those areas, he said.

The audit also looked at dispatch, patrol, weapons and ammunition, jail operations, investigations, lab, evidence vault, records, civil and the business office.

The report recommended taking action on the welfare of inmates -- how the department spends money to maintain needs for their medical and food sources.

Out of the 92 recommendations, one-third have been addressed or completed, such as a new suicide-prevention policy that directs how inmates are received and what steps are taken to ensure their safety, Furlong said. Also, the department moved a staff member to detention to receive visitors.

Not all recommendations will save the department money, Furlong said. Some may require more staffing or better resources. The department will also examine some findings that will require working with other agencies to fix.

"We were looking for dimes in our corners," Furlong said. "There were some issues that are going to be costly, like hiring more people to ensure services are completed."

for more information

The audit will be posted on the city's Web site at www.carson-city.nv.us/ia. Copies are at City Hall, 201 N. Carson St.