The audit showed a “lack of consistent and accurate entries,” “no system of accountability” and “insufficient booking software.” The audit also found that nearly 85 percent of the evidence was booked within five days, with 2 percent - or 418 pieces of evidence - booked after 20 to 30 days, and 1.5 percent - or 296 items of evidence - booked after 31 days. Investigators reviewed more than 27,000 evidence bookings and more than 1,500 deputies. “God only knows how much evidence has been lost, mixed into other cases, kept, given to informants or concealed because it helped the defendant.”īraun said the audit was initiated in January 2018 after the department learned that some evidence was not booked according to policy, which is at the end of the deputy’s shift.
“Defendants had the right to know that this audit concluded that nearly all of the deputies in the field and jails during those two years kept … evidence in their cars, homes, desks or wherever else they wanted to store rather than booking it,” Sanders said. He also has asked the Sheriff’s Department for more information so he can determine if further discovery must be sent to other defense attorneys.Īssistant Public Defender Scott Sanders, who for years has alleged that the Sheriff’s Department was withholding evidence from defense attorneys, criticized the agency for not releasing the results of the audit until contacted by the news group. Spitzer said defense attorneys were notified in the cases that came to his office.
The department also developed procedures requiring supervisors to check that all property and evidence has been booked prior to approving any related reports,” Braun said.ĭistrict Attorney Todd Spitzer said he was not told of the wide-scale audit until Monday, although his office had been reviewing the individual cases. “The department (has taken) immediate measures to ensure personnel were educated on the policy and procedure for booking evidence. Sheriff’s spokesperson Carrie Braun said the department has improved the booking of evidence, which in most cases was kept by the deputies.
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