By C.J. Carnacchio
Leader Editor

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to investigate what happened to the $136,677 in federal COPS grants that the U.S. Department of Justice claims was misspent by the now-defunct Oxford Police Department under the former Oxford Emergency Safety Authority.
In a Jan. 16 letter to Sheriff’s Capt. Michael McCabe, newly elected Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission Chairman (OPFEC) Bill Dunn requested a “full and complete investigation of the circumstances surrounding the alleged misuse of COPS grant funds.”
Dunn’s letter was the result of a Jan. 15 unanimous vote by OPFEC to request such an investigation in light of the Justice Department’s Dec. 23, 2002 claim that the safety authority owes it $136,677 in “supplanted” federal COPS grants from 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Supplanting is defined as replacing local funds that would have otherwise been spent on existing law enforcement with federally-funded COPS grants, which are supposed to be used to increase the number of police officers patrolling communities.
The Justice Department demanded the $136,677 in supplanted funds be paid in full by Feb. 6.
OPFEC unanimously voted to direct attorney Steve Gross to write a letter to the Justice Department informing them of the investigation and requesting a 90-day extension of the payment deadline from the date of the letter.
Dunn said the purpose of the investigation is to find out “what happened to the money, was there any wrongdoing involved” and if so, “what individual or individuals are responsible.”
The chairman said if the investigation yields any evidence of wrongdoing, OPFEC will seek the $136,677 from the responsible party or parties.
“I don’t care if they’re old OESA board members or former employees of the police department. If they were responsible, they’re going to be held accountable,” Dunn said.
Because this investigation involves the possible misuse of federal monies, Sheriff’s Lt. Al Whitefield, Oxford’s substation commander, said depending on what’s found, the Federal Bureau of Investigation may have to be contacted and involved.
Gross said although he has “no knowledge of wrongdoing,” based on his review of “some” of the COPS grant applications, the information contained in them is “questionable to say the least.”
He said he has “a lot of concerns about what was in a couple of applications.”
The Justice Department did conduct a criminal investigation into the COPS grant funds Oxford received, but “declined to take any action” and would not share its findings with OPFEC, Gross said.
Dunn said the sheriff’s department will have “full and complete access” to OPFEC’s records
In his letter to McCabe, Dunn wrote, “You should be aware that OPFEC has extensive documentation concerning the claim, which we will, of course, make available to you. We will also make all other pertinent files and records available to you for your inspection.”
Resident Helen Barwig said she’s “happy” OPFEC voted to have the COPS grant issue investigated because it “shows they’re trying to be responsible.”
Barwig said she would like to see “anybody” that “falsified” grant applications and other documents or helped cover it up “pay their share” of the COPS debt.
“They knew what they were doing. Most of them gained job titles and raises,” she said. “I would like to see all of them pay every cent owed instead of the taxpayers.”
Resident Sue Bellairs, former township trustee and OPFEC commissioner, said she’s “glad they’re doing the investigation,” but wishes they’d “done it sooner.”
“I just hope that the trail isn’t cold,” she said.
Bellairs said she also hopes the sheriff’s department’s investigation will include auditing “the books for the entire (former) police department” ? not just the COPS grant funds ? to examine how local funds and other monies were spent.
“Where did those monies go if they used the grants to pay for” existing local police officers?, Bellairs said. “(The invesigation has) to look at the whole picture.”
“It’s up to the elected officials to find out where the money went and who spent it,” she said, noting they have a legal and “moral obligation” to do this. “I just hope they follow through and get to the bottom of this.”