On Thursday, Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi announced an investigation alleging the misuse of PACT (Police Accountability, Community and Transparency) Grant Funds by the Montgomery County Department of Police.
The county received $498,000 in PACT grants in 2023 to procure a body-worn camera system and the necessary software to manage the camera system. All funds were required to be used before the end of the grant period, which ran through June 2023.
The investigation found that at the end of June 2023, just before the grant period ended, MCPD paid $396,000 for 30 months of professional services not yet performed. In doing so, they violated the county’s accounts payable policy, which prohibits the payment of invoices for goods or services not yet received.
The Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCPP) awards PACT grants to support law enforcement agencies in developing “effective accountability procedures to achieve their goals of lawfulness and legitimacy while enhancing community relations and transparency.”
According to the report, MCPD’s Management and Budget Director (MBD) directed staff to process the $396,000 invoice despite staff informing him, on several occasions, that the payment must fall within the grant period.
An MCPD staff member told the OIG that on June 27, 2023, they advised the MBD against submitting the invoice, but the MBD expressed a willingness to risk an audit.
The OIG reported its findings to the County’s Chief Administrative Officer and GOCPP for whatever action they deem appropriate.
