DWI program audit underway in Brockport

Calling it a good review of policies and procedures, Mayor Josephine Matela said she fully supports the STOP-DWI program audit that is taking place in Brockport's police department.

"We’re going forward as per the sheriff’s recommendations to do a STOP-DWI audit to assure that the correct policies and procedures are in place," Matela said. "We have no reason to believe there were abuses with regard to the system, prior to my administration."

Following an investigation into the Brockport Police Department last year, the Monroe County Sheriff's office had made the recommendation for the audit. The village's accountant, Chris Trento, will conduct the audit of the paperwork that has been supplied to him by Police Chief Dan Varrenti.

Village officials, in 2001, asked the Sheriff's office to launch an investigation into allegations made about then-Police Chief Gary Zimmer. Zimmer was placed on paid administrative leave. While no criminal activity was found, administrative and procedural problems were uncovered within the department.

Zimmer was reinstated, then subsequently retired under a settlement with the village.

While the audit is linked with Zimmer's administration, village officials said the audit is something they would have put into practice regardless. Matela said when the investigation began, one of the areas the sheriff’s office felt the village could improve upon was in their procedures in the STOP-DWI program. "An audit isn’t necessarily a bad thing," Matela said. "It will point out where we need to improve our processes to ensure that things are being done correctly."

From the time Varrenti has come on board, Matela said, he has been initiating policies and procedures to overhaul the STOP-DWI program and has worked on improving other areas of procedures within the department. "All of these improvements are very important for us in order to obtain our accreditation," Matela explained.

Annual audits of grants received by the department will be put into place under Varrenti’s administration.

As part of the STOP-DWI audit, the Sheriff’s office has also recommended the village review the use of the New York State Police Information Network system. The police department has also been asked to update property room procedures and record keeping practices.