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LA controller slams Animal Services for lax controls, wasted funds
A Chihuahua waits adoption at a Los Angeles Department of Animal Services shelter on December 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
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LA controller slams Animal Services for lax controls, wasted funds
LA controller slams Animal Services for lax controls, wasted funds
City controller and mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel released an audit of L.A.'s Department of Animal Services on Wednesday, slamming the city's shelter system as being plagued by lax controls and improper tracking.
“The safety of our shelter animals must be a top priority,” said Greuel in the release. “The misuse of the Department’s timekeeping system, undocumented use of firearms and the possible sale of missing animals led me to conduct this audit.”
The audit claims that the department did not take an accurate inventory of its animals and that it failed to collect $1.3 million in potential revenue from dog owners over the last two years.
The audit also found $125,000 missing over the past two years in the microchipping program.
Greuel says donations were not properly tracked and at some shelters, cash donations were abused as petty cash.
The Department of Animal Services has until March 15 to provide a plan of action in response.
Animal Services was not immediately available for contact.
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