Multiple organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, accused the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department of misspending COVID-19 relief funds.
“We are seeing law enforcement sort of treat the coronavirus relief fund as a sort of law enforcement flush fund, which is really just shameful,” ACLU attorney Adrienna Wong told KNX.
She added the department is budgeting almost $5 million for items that it would have bought anyway.
The Board of Supervisors approved the sheriff’s department's request to purchase items such as bulletproof window glazing and new office furniture with the relief funds; however, the purchases have not yet been made.
“[The ACT CARES] funds should only be for necessary expenditures for responding to the pandemic,” Wong said.
When KNX reached out to Sheriff Chad Bianco, he sent the following statement, which has been reproduced in full without editing:
The fact that only extremely liberal media outlets have inquired about the ACLU’s complaint says all that needs to be said. Three completely anti law enforcement, anti-Sheriff’s Department in particular, organizations have made more frivolous complaints and are counting on anti-law enforcement media to fuel their demands for social justice. The County of Riverside had an exhausting process for distribution of Cares Act funding and I am extremely confident the process ensured the county operated within federal government guidelines. This frivolous, misleading, and misinformed complaint should be seen by the pubic [sic] for exactly what it is: Anti law enforcement rhetoric and a complete waste of everyone’s time.
Wong told KNX the ACLU is asking federal oversight agencies to recover the funds and that the ACLU could take legal action.