Ray Kelly, Police Commissioner, Buys NYPD Gear In Secret
In yet more evidence that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly does his own thing, the NYPD violated federal and state bidding regulations in purchasing $4.1 million in anti-terror equipment without holding an open bidding competition, according to a new audit by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General.
When it comes to federal funds, the law requires an open bidding process, which involves accepting sealed bids from competing companies for a given item in order to obtain the lowest price. Instead, the PD, unlike any other state agency, came up with its own secret procedure.
Police officials, the report says, claimed they had to use the no-bid process to stop terrorists or other criminals from finding out about what they were buying.
The report does not say what exactly the NYPD purchased, but the auditors say they "question the NYPD's claim that confidentiality was an apparent issue," and added, the secret system "denied the department the full value of a competitive marketplace."
The auditors said a further investigation should be conducted to recover "any unreasonable amount" from the city to pay for the equipment.
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