(May 26, 2016) In the wake of the dismissal of former Police Chief Kelvin Sewell, a routine audit conducted by the Department of Justice looking into how particular grant funds were dispersed became more than it was, according to City Manager/Attorney Ernie Crofoot.
Crofoot’s tenure began after the July firing of Sewell. The former City Manager of Pocomoke for 40 years, Russ Blake, retired shortly after the dismissal.
“Like so many things, it was misunderstood. It was branded as a ‘DOJ investigation’ with the idea being we did something wrong,” Crofoot said. “We could have done some things better or differently, but this was not an investigation.”
The letter, received by the town earlier this year, makes no mention of Sewell but does exonerate the town from any wrongdoing with regards to a Community Oriented Policing Services grant awarded in 2011 and intended to cover the cost of a single officer for three years.
“The COPS office has completed its review of this matter and has determined that while the City should have requested a grant award modification … to reflect actual salary and benefits costs paid … the City’s actions substantially complied with the Federal regulations, terms and conditions of the grant program,” the determination letter reads.
The letter was signed by Nakita Miller, grant monitoring specialist, and Marsha Samuels Campbell, assistant director of the grant-monitoring program at the DOJ.
In the application for the grant, the letter reads, the town estimated the COPS officer would make an entry-level salary of almost $41,000 and would also be eligible for almost $30,000 worth of unspecified “fringe benefits.”
Based on the audit, the officer was instead paid $43,473 the first year, $53,212 the second and $57,024 the third.
“The increased amount drawn for salary costs by the City was offset by a decrease in the amount drawn for approved fringe benefit costs,” the letter reads. “While the salary and fringe benefit amounts drawn differs from the amounts originally approved, both are allowed under the grant program and did not exceed the grant award total.”
The auditors state that had the city filed a modification request, it “would have likely approved” it.
“I asked the auditors if this action was taken as the result of an investigation,” Crofoot said. “They said it was routine, that a certain percentage of grants are audited each year. Ours was coming to a close and it got audited.”
Crofoot’s tenure began after the July firing of Sewell. The former City Manager of Pocomoke for 40 years, Russ Blake, retired shortly after the dismissal.
“Like so many things, it was misunderstood. It was branded as a ‘DOJ investigation’ with the idea being we did something wrong,” Crofoot said. “We could have done some things better or differently, but this was not an investigation.”
The letter, received by the town earlier this year, makes no mention of Sewell but does exonerate the town from any wrongdoing with regards to a Community Oriented Policing Services grant awarded in 2011 and intended to cover the cost of a single officer for three years.
“The COPS office has completed its review of this matter and has determined that while the City should have requested a grant award modification … to reflect actual salary and benefits costs paid … the City’s actions substantially complied with the Federal regulations, terms and conditions of the grant program,” the determination letter reads.
The letter was signed by Nakita Miller, grant monitoring specialist, and Marsha Samuels Campbell, assistant director of the grant-monitoring program at the DOJ.
In the application for the grant, the letter reads, the town estimated the COPS officer would make an entry-level salary of almost $41,000 and would also be eligible for almost $30,000 worth of unspecified “fringe benefits.”
Based on the audit, the officer was instead paid $43,473 the first year, $53,212 the second and $57,024 the third.
“The increased amount drawn for salary costs by the City was offset by a decrease in the amount drawn for approved fringe benefit costs,” the letter reads. “While the salary and fringe benefit amounts drawn differs from the amounts originally approved, both are allowed under the grant program and did not exceed the grant award total.”
The auditors state that had the city filed a modification request, it “would have likely approved” it.
“I asked the auditors if this action was taken as the result of an investigation,” Crofoot said. “They said it was routine, that a certain percentage of grants are audited each year. Ours was coming to a close and it got audited.”