Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-10
NEW AUDIT SYSTEM PUT IN
Reform in Checking Police Court Account
Adopted by Crawford.
LEE GElERs RECORDS SHOW SOME ERRORS
Retiring Clerk Reimburses TreRsury
when Advised of Discrepancies
COmptroIIer's once Did Not
Discover.

An investigation Instituted by Police Judge
Crawford into the system OF accounting
which has been in vogue for some time
in the office Of the clerk Of the police
court has revealed some suspicious meth
DDS Of auditing. One feature OF the in
vestigation was that last Friday afternoon
Lee Grier, who retired from the police
court clsrkship last month. paid into the
city treasury s2S4 to cover discrepancies
discovered that day by Police Judge Craw-
ford and the present clerk Of the police
court J. J. Mahoney. The $2Si represented
errors in Griers accounts from Januray l
Of this year to date. which covered Judge
Crawford's time at the police court
Inasmuch as representatives. Of the city
comptroilers Office checked mp MIR Gricr's
accounts from month to month and discov-
cred no errors, while the now police Judge
discovered S2S4 short for the six months
checked the matter has aroused the at
tention Of the lire and police committee
Of the city council Councilman McGovern
has said he will ask that Grier's books
for his six years as clerk Of the police
court be checked by experts.
New System of Accounting.
Beginning yesterday morning a new sys-
tenn Of keeping accounts was inaugurntcd
at the police court and city Jail, the
scheme being that each department will
have check on the other in the matter
of payment Of fines, bonds, release Of
prisoners who have been fined and other
features where money is involved.
Lee Grier was seen yesterday afternoon
and questioned regarding the errors found
In his accounts.
Il did pay s2S4 into the treasury Friday
afternoon when It was shown to me that
my accounts were out that sum-" said Mr.
Grier. In explanation of the alleged errors
l would say that it is possible persons have
called on me at my afternoon place of busi-
ness and paid me the money, which forgot
to charge up on my books. There was no
real shortage in my accounts, but only
clerical errors Some of those fellows are
| trying to job me for political reasons"
/ Regarding the possibility Of his accounts
! being checked back for six years Mr.. Grier
said he had no misgivings on that score.
Crawford with the Muck Rake.
| Police Judge Crawford, who has been
using the muck rake in the police court
| accounting department, said yesterday aft
| ernoon that he felt confident soon after he
assumed his duties police judge January
4 that there was great need of improve
ment in the accounting methods in vogue
in the police court clerks office
| But said the Judge yesterday after
! noon, Il was getting on to the ropes my
self for awhile and thought that inasmuch
| as the city comptroller was checking UP
the clerk each month the matter might
rest awhile But I later saw there were
too many loopholes and opportunities for
graft and then began an investigation
which resulted last Friday afternoon in
Mr.. Grler turning over $2S4 for fragrant
errors made during the time l have been
in office"
| According to the statement of Judge
Crawford some of Griers errors consisted
of bonds forfeited and not turned into the
city treasury. Instances where defendants
in police court cases fail to appear after
having been released on cash bond the
police Judge marks bond forfeited with
the amount. on the face of the complaint
which is sent to the clerk for entry anC
disposition in the same manner where
prisoners fine is noted by the judge OF
the complaint. Some of the errors charged
against Grier were in cases where pris
oners paid their fines i'm the afternoon, fol
instance, Of the day they were fined, tn,
money having been paid Grier, who ISSUED
release order to the party paying tn,
fine and then placed the money in hi
pocket Grier admitted he may have mad,
a number OF errors OF that nature.
COsErOve Admits Remedy Needed.
Deputy Comptroller Fred Cosgrove, VIII
| has many checks on the police cour
clerks accounts and who is familiar VIII
the situation, agreed that a new system
OF accounting was badly needed in III
Office Of the police court clerk and addeS
that his office had been working for
month or more TO devise a system whicl
would disclose errors better than the olt
system. In explanation as to why tn
comptroller's Office did not discover tn
errors found by Judge Crawford last week
Mr. Cosgrove said his Office had 5eei
checking the police court docket with tn
: books and declared that the doclSets dit
, not show the facts and were not a reliabl
! means Of checking the accounts.
Part of the new system of accounts a
the police station is a book kept by tn
jailer showing what time each prisone
E would have to serve IL he or she serve
out the entire fine and also the exact tim
r each prisoner is released and under wha
e circumstances. Prisoners are allowed s.
= day for serving out fines. II a man {
( hned $40 and costs and only serves tw
; days the jailer's book will show whethe
. the man paid the balance OF his fine o
was released on a pardon from the mayor
In cases where the money is paid at m
time fines are imposed by thr Judge tn
a items will be checked back each mornin
- by the police Judge OF court sergeant, VIII
? keeps the police court docket sheet an
. the clerk who keeps record OF every fin,
70 sentence or discharge. BY this careful an
9 daily check Judge Crawford feels conf
a dent errors will be eliminated and chance
! for graft expunged