An audit of the Wichita Police Department’s property and evidence section found no cases of missing or mishandled evidence.
The results of the audit were announced Thursday at Mayor Brandon Whipple’s weekly news conference at City Hall. The audit began about a year ago and there were concerns about missing evidence and cash, but external auditor Kristina Rose said it was discovered that some items were incorrectly coded as missing or they were involved in cases that were dismissed.
Rose said all evidence has been handled properly by the Police Department, including sexual assault kits, and the property and evidence section has been operating appropriately.
Police Chief Joe Sullivan said the review did find several areas where the department can improve its operations. Police have purged about 30,000 pieces of evidence and they have conducted cleaning operations and have reviewed policies and procedures. Steps have also been taken to improve security.
