Summary

King County Executive Dow Constantine has directed Executive-branch agencies to evaluate all cash transactions for compliance with the county’s policies and procedures, following the arrest of a suspect in the theft of about $7,500 in cash receipts from a locked safe in the office of the King County Marine Division.

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine has directed Executive-branch agencies to evaluate all cash transactions for compliance with the county’s policies and procedures, following the arrest of a suspect in the theft of about $7,500 in cash receipts from a locked safe in the office of the King County Marine Division.

“I am angered to learn that it was possible for any amount of cash to be stolen from a locked safe at the Marine Division,” said Executive Constantine. “We have the right policies in place to ensure that public dollars are protected; I have ordered swift and appropriate action to make sure staff are following those procedures.”

The Executive has directed the county Finance and Business Operations Division to review compliance by Executive-branch agencies with a 2007 Administrative Procedure establishing best practices for cash handling, recording, and bank reconciliation.

King County Department of Transportation (KCDOT) Director Harold Taniguchi is asking an outside organization to review the agency’s current handling of cash receipts, and to design additional procedures and training for employees responsible for cash counting, reconciliation and deposits.

King County Sheriff’s detectives have arrested a suspect in the theft of fare collection containers for King County water taxi routes. Staff in DOT’s Marine Division discovered the theft on May 24, and an internal investigation found evidence of improper access to a locked county safe where cash fares from the water taxi routes are stored until they are picked up by armored truck for transport and deposit.

The police investigation led to the arrest of a suspect and a search of his home, which turned up missing fare containers. The Marine Division terminated the employee and took immediate steps to better secure ferry cash collections. The Executive today thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its swift action in the case.

In 2009, the state auditor’s office conducted an annual accountability audit of county operations and made a number of findings, one of which pertained to Metro Transit, another division of KCDOT. In that case the audit found no evidence of missing cash, but made recommendations for better handling of cash from fare boxes.

As a result, Metro made a number of changes, including limiting access to cash, improving personnel monitoring, strengthening security of cash transfers, providing ongoing training, improving reconciliation of fares collected to cash receipts, and generally improving controls in the process.

The Sheriff will refer the results of its theft investigation to the King County Prosecuting Attorney for a decision on charges.