New Report Says Inspector General Wasting Money On Guns

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- A state senate report says the California Office of the Inspector General is wasting money by needlessly classifying most of their employees as sworn peace officers.

The report, titled "Gun-Toting Auditors and Attorneys," sharply criticizes the policy of issuing guns, badges and bullet proof vests, even though a shot has never been fired in the history of the department.

The department was created to oversee California's corrections department, providing number crunching services and legal analysis.

"In the last several years, not one single incident involving a weapon or a need to respond as a peace officer has occurred. It's really a myth," said John Adkisson, special counsel to the Senate Rules Committee and one of the authors of the study. "We are characterizing people incorrectly in order to pay them more."

The report found that of the 150 Office of Inspector General positions, 105 are sworn peace officers. $36,000 was spent on ammunition this year, and the body armor, parkas and other related items cost $2,000 per employee.

Chief Deputy Inspector General Donald Currier said an internal study has already concluded that department employees should stop carrying guns, but said peace officer status is still important.

"First of all, to get access to places only peace officers can go, and secondly to compel people to do things they wouldn't normally do," Currier said.

The Inspector General's office could opt to make changes on its own, or the report could lead to a Senate hearing.