State Auditor discovers Alabama bought $137k worth of broken tazers

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April 16, 2015

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A new report from State Auditor Jim Zeigler shows the state is missing approximately $211,000 in state-owned equipment and property, including 179 tazers bought in 2006 by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, then known as the Department of Public Safety, worth $137,000 that were damaged in shipping.

“These damaged tasers date back to 2006, and nothing has been done,” Zeigler said in a press release. “I am sending a demand letter to the vendor, the shipper, and their insurers. I do not care which one repays the state as long as repayment is made. This is the worst case of shipping damage I have ever seen, with defective deliveries from 2006 to 2011. Why was nothing done? Someone was asleep on the job.”

Other items discovered as missing or stolen during the audit were:

– Three 40-caliber semi-automatic pistols stolen from the Department of Corrections, worth $1,038.00;
– A 2014 Jeep Patriot worth $16,839.00 destroyed by the Dept. of Agriculture & Industries in a wreck;
– A water blaster lost by the Department of Corrections worth $2,095.00;
– An automobile scanner left lying outside by the State Motor Pool worth $1,015.45;
– Two laptops worth $5,442,04 lost by the Department of Children Affairs;
– An electronic message board stolen from the Department of Transportation worth $18,985.00;
– Two laptops stolen or lost from the Finance Dept worth $2,916.07.

According to Zeigler, in the past after the state auditor finds state property to be missing, nothing really happens. A report is made, and “stuck in a drawer.” Zeigler said he wants to change that.

“There is a serious flaw in the property auditing system,” Zeigler remarked. “After an audit is completed showing losses, nothing happens. A copy of the report goes to the attorney general, never to be heard from again.”

The State Auditor wants to install new safeguards against losses as well as develop recovery steps, even filing civil lawsuits on behalf of taxpayers.