Tag Archives: Police

Lakewood Postscript

The Nashville City Paper has reported that the City of Lakewood ended its operations with over $450,000 of traffic fines receivable. According to the story, once the city ceased to exist as a political entity, there was nobody to collect the unpaid fines. As a result, many of the drivers may currently be unknowingly driving on suspended licenses. Here is a link to the story. I do not know how long the City Paper keeps its links active.

In 2009, I investigated theft from traffic fines in Lakewood. Here is a link to the first part of the case study that I wrote about it.

An Incredible Case Study: Memphis Property and Evidence Room

When one studies accounting and auditing, one learns a lot of theoretical information about counting inventory. Personally, I had already managed a business (a restaurant) for a few years and had also earned extra money moonlighting with an inventory service before I enrolled at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 1998. None of that remotely prepared me for a BIG investigation that my office conducted during the fall of 2003.

The investigative audit report for this audit is available here.

The main legal-issues were well summarized in Director Dennis Dycus’s letter to the then-comptroller, John Morgan, which is an integral part of the report.

Our investigative audit revealed that 116.6 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value estimated at $2,332,408, and 559.8 pounds of marijuana, with a street value estimated at $447,876, could not be accounted for. Auditors were unable to locate or account for certain cash items totaling $147,218.26, and were unable to account for at least 66 firearms.

Yes, this was unlike any inventory assignment I had seen before!