DHS grantsAlabama did not share enough DHS funds with local governments
An audit by the DHS inspector general’s office found that Alabama’s Homeland Securityprogram has not met the conditions of receiving DHS grants, as it fails to share adequate grant money with local governments. The audit, completed in May, found that of the $20.5 million awarded to Alabama for homeland security projects between 2010 and 2012, the state agency gave less than the required 80 percent of funds to local governments.
An audit by the DHS inspector general’s office found that Alabama’s Homeland Security program has not met the conditions of receiving DHS grants, as it fails to share adequate grant money with local governments. The audit, completed in May, found that of the $20.5 million awarded to Alabama for homeland security projects between 2010 and 2012, the state agency gave less than the required 80 percent of funds to local governments. Now some county-level emergency management officials are seeking information on how the funds were spent. “We’d like to have a little more dialogue,” said Marshall County Emergency Management Director and president of the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers, Anita McBurnett. “We’re just not entirely clear on where the money went.”
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, several states set up their own homeland security programs, funded in part by DHS, with grants intended to help the states develop their counterterrorism and emergency response capabilities. The Anniston State concludes that the Alabama audit was a routine one, following similar audits of the homeland security offices in Alaska, Maine, Idaho, and Iowa.
Alabama received $9.8 million in DHS grants in 2010, of which 54 percent was sent to local governments. By 2012, funding had shrunk to $2.8 million, of which local governments collected a 21 percent share. “The majority of State Homeland Security Program funds were allocated to support statewide initiatives, such as information sharing and interoperable communications,” the audit states. “Information sharing” often describes fusion centers, the criminal intelligence agencies ran by states in partnership with the federal government. “We can’t be sure, but the spending seems to be a little law-enforcement-heavy,” McBurnett said. For Alabama, “information sharing” could also refer to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, which collects statewide crime statistics dating back to 1977.
Emergency managers in Alabama note that some of their DHS grant money has been used for radios and other equipment. “Interoperable communications” as stated in the audit may refer to the state’s plan to build an interoperable radio system to allow first responders statewide to communicate more clearly.
States across the nation have reported a reduction in DHS grant money. Many cite the budget crisis in Congress or the lack of a recent terror scare or attack. “This kind of spending is always going to be in response to some kind of major event,” McBurnett said.
