DAVENPORT AUDITORS FIND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN EVIDENCE LOCKER

An internal audit of the Davenport police evidence locker has revealed
$116,709 that should have been deposited in city and state funds or
returned to its owners, a department official said.

While reviewing the funds last week, a team of officers found $165,535 in
envelopes in the locker, including money that had been seized in raids,
held as evidence or given to the police department as lost cash, Davenport
Police Capt. Jay Verhorevoort said.

The internal audit showed that at least 71 percent of the money should be
transferred to city and state coffers or returned to original owners, said
Verhorevoort, the department's internal auditor.

He said the audit showed that a least $20,299 needs to remain in the locker
for use as evidence in criminal cases.

The internal review of funds in the evidence locker comes one month after
state auditors released a report detailing shoddy accounting practices in
the department.

"We are making progress," Verhorevoort said. "It's just a matter of sitting
down with the county attorney's office and doing a further check of our
records."

State auditors concluded $192,155 remained in envelopes in the locker
because department personnel were not making timely deposits.

Since the audit, $26,620 has either been sent to proper city and state
accounts or returned to its original owners.

State auditors reviewed the department's books as part of a criminal
investigation into the alleged activities of former Davenport police Sgt.
Greg Collins, who served as the commander of the vice unit.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation began that probe in February
2000 after an investigation showed Collins profited from purchasing
vehicles the vice unit seized in drug raids.

Collins, who was fired in July after serving 22 years in the department, is
also accused of operating an unauthorized slush fund and cutting deals with
suspects and informants that were not approved by his supervisors.

The Iowa Attorney General has not yet determined whether Collins will face
criminal charges.

State auditors found Collins had no oversight when he checked money in and
out of a police fund used to pay informants and to make undercover drug buys.

Police Chief Mike Bladel, who took control of the department in November,
has since divided responsibilities for that fund among two vice-unit
supervisors and an internal auditor.