City Fully Implements Recommendations a Year After Audit

Published on October 07, 2021

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DENVER – Denver’s Department of Public Safety is doing a better job of managing a grant meant to support a range of safety programs, which is a sign the agency is taking audit recommendations seriously and doing better work on behalf of the public, according to a follow-up report out today from Denver Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien, CPA.

“My constituents often ask me what’s next for agencies after we make recommendations for improvement,” Auditor O’Brien said. “This is an example of how the process should work successfully. Everyone wins because of the complete implementation of our recommendations.”

As a result of our recommendations, the Department of Public Safety — specifically the Denver Police Department and the Denver Sheriff Department — took steps to ensure grant reports for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program are submitted on time. They also confirmed subrecipients of the funding are reported accurately.

The grant program provides federal funds for states, tribes, and local governments for a range of needs, including victim services and anti-trafficking.

Following federal grant requirements ensures agencies can continue to spend the money on appropriate programs and services — which in this case means funding programs to keep residents safe.

“The issues we found weren’t large, but the complete and timely implementation of our recommendations shows the departments’ understanding of the importance of managing grants appropriately,” Auditor O’Brien said.

In 2020, the Auditor’s Office found only 55% of the accepted recommendations we followed up on citywide had been fully implemented. In 2021, our office hopes to see the city's implementation rate increase significantly.

Our office follows up on every audit recommendation an agency accepts. However, our office does not schedule follow-ups until after the final implementation date stated by the agency at the time of the audit. As a result, in any year we might follow up on audits a year or more old, depending on the expected implementation deadlines.

The follow-up process is an additional step toward accountability for city agencies, which allows the public to see whether agencies did what they said they would do in response to concerns raised during our audits.

If our recommendations are not implemented, the risks and concerns from our findings go back onto our annual risk assessment and could result in another audit of the agency in the future.

AUDITOR TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, CPA
Denver's Auditor

Denver Auditor's Office
201 W. Colfax Ave. #705 Denver, CO 80202
Email: auditor@denvergov.org 
Call: 720-913-5000
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